Podcast 1014: Eating and Drinking on Shift

Contributor; Aaron Lessen, MD

Educational Pearls:

A 2026 survey asked Canadian emergency medicine (EM) physicians about their eating and drinking habits while on shift.

Among 527 respondents, 35% reported that they never or hardly ever ate during shifts, and 37% said the same about drinking water.

Lack of time was the most commonly cited barrier, reported by 91% of respondents.

Lack of available food, personal health goals, perceived mental clarity, and emergency department culture were also commonly identified factors.

Physicians who did not eat or drink on shift often reported that this negatively affected their work.

Years in practice were associated with eating more often while on shift, suggesting that newer physicians may be less likely to eat during shifts.

A 2023 study by Kontrick et al. found that 89% of US-based EM residency programs did not have a dedicated meal break, which may help explain why early-career physicians are less accustomed to eating during clinical shifts.

Studies outside of emergency medicine have also suggested that inadequate food and fluid intake can affect fatigue, mood, attention, and cognitive performance, though direct evidence in emergency department physicians and patient care remains limited.

Future studies could examine whether physician eating and drinking habits during shifts are associated with patient outcomes and broaden the scope of this study to other emergency department providers, nurses, and technicians.

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