The impacts of sleep deprivation on medical residents: A scoping review of literature

Negative impacts of sleep deprivation on healthcare providers are well documented. However, effective, evidence-based, and practical interventions are sparse. This scoping literature review explores the interventions used for sleep deprivation among medical residents. This review considers the current state of the interventions in place, the impacts that sleep deprivation can have on residents, and the ways to cope with sleep deprivation. Furthermore, counter arguments against work hour reduction—the preferred form of intervention—are presented. Finally, it is concluded that no intervention is currently accepted by all stakeholders, and more research is required to arrive at a practical solution.