Resumen
Background. Recent papers have emphasized the importance of sufficient sleep in health practitioners to
avoid skill deterioration. Lack of sleep often leads to physical and mental deterioration and medical error.
Objective. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if there is a psychomotor deterioration in medical students
and to determine if modifying medical practices is necessary to improve cognitive function in medical
students, thus assuring a better quality service to patients. Methods. Lumosity test (5) cognitive training
program was used, which allowed data recollection of psychomotor skills from medical students who were
sleep deprived and from students who had slept at least six hours; then, the data was compared. Open
transversal study with 52 medical students in the last two years of their career from Universidad Francisco
Marroquín. Results: There was statistically significant evidence indicating that there is a psychomotor
deterioration due to sleep deprivation in medicine students during their last year. Lumosity mean scores in
the group that had slept six hours and in the sleep-deprived group were 2912 and 2515, respectively.
Conclusions: There is a psychomotor deterioration due to a lack of sleep in medical students working long
hospital calls.
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Copyright (c) 2017 María A. Saravia, Estuardo Tercero Muxi
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© 2017 María A. Saravia, Estuardo Tercero Muxi
