Depression in residents, not burnout, poses patient safety risk

Burnout among medical residents does not put patients at risk of medication errors, but depression does, according to researchers from Children's Hospital in Boston. Depressed pediatric residents made errors in ordering, transcribing, or administering medications 6 times more often than those who were not depressed. Error rates among residents that were suffering burnout, however, were no different than among those who were not, the researchers found.