Scotland: Physician hours soon to be over European limit

In 12 months, hospitals under the UK's National Health Service (NHS) must follow the European Working Time Directive (EWTD), which requires junior physicians to work in hospitals no more than 48 hours per week, a goal which many Scotland hospitals have yet to meet, reports the Herald.

In some areas, more than 70% of junior physicians work longer than the soon-to-be required amount, reports the Herald.The British Medical Association has warned chaos might follow a rush to meet the deadline, and some in the medical profession worry shorter hours may cut time to hone important skills, according to the Herald.

The EWTD became law in 1998 and has been implemented gradually. In August, 2004, a 58-hour work week was required for the junior physicians. The law was created to prevent mistakes from fatigue, similar to working hour limits of pilots.

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Ireland: Information Commissioner upset over medical error exemption from Freedom of Information Act

Ireland's Information Commissioner, Emily O'Reilly, has expressed concern after a government-appointed patient safety commission proposed medical errors and other patient safety information remain exempt from the Freedom of Information Act (FOI), reports the Tribune.

Though the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance advocated for a mandatory quality data reporting system, it also called for legislation for that data, as well as information on adverse events and near misses, to be exempt from the FOI, according to the Tribune.

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