Doctors are human too and they have decision fatigue

Researchers have found an effect know as 'decision fatique' in doctors. The phenomenon of “decision fatigue” has been tranditionally found in judges, who are more likely to deny bail at the end of the day than at the beginning. As the day wears on, doctors become increasingly more likely to prescribe antibiotics even when they are not indicated. For the study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, scientists analyzed diagnoses of acute respiratory infections in 21,867 cases over 18 months in primary care practices in and near Boston.

In two-thirds of the cases, antibiotics were prescribed even though they were not indicated. But whether they were indicated or not, the number of prescriptions increased with time. Over all, compared to the first hour, the probability of a prescription for antibiotics increased by 1 percent in the second hour, 14 percent in the third hour and 26 percent in…