The Medical Fatigue Risk Management policy began its rollout across the state on Tuesday, ahead of its full implementation on July 1, 2009.
Health Minister Stephen Robertson said fatigue management protocols had been finetuned in the past 18 months after trials at 14 pilot sites and consultation with the University of South Australia's Centre for Sleep Research.
Robertson said "sleep pods" and rest rooms were among measures to combat long working hours for doctors.
The plan's introduction comes just one week after a coronial inquiry in Brisbane was told a fatal misdiagnosis of a brain injury in a 10-year-old girl could have been prevented if adequate doctor fatigue strategies had been in place at Sunshine Coast's Caloundra Hospital in 2002.
Queensland Health Patient Safety Centre senior director Dr John Wakefield said the new system would include measures to weigh up the risks of withdrawing doctors from cases against the potential errors a tired doctor could make.
"It is important to realise that healthcare is not a 9 to 5 job and doctors are frequently required to work long hours," Dr Wakefield said.
"Doctors can't just down tools after working eight hours.
"Put simply, sometimes doctors may have to work on their patient for hours on end in order to save their lives."
Australian Medical Association (AMA) Queensland and Salaried Doctors Queensland (SDQ) on Tuesday welcomed the new plan.
But AMA Queensland president Dr Chris Davis said significant pressures would remain for some staff due to a workforce shortages.
"There is significant pressure on senior staff due to a shortage of senior doctors; the result being individuals are often on call for long periods, and in some areas consultants and GPs cannot take leave due to a lack of locums," Dr Davis said.
There was also little time for senior specialists to train junior doctors, he said.
However, Queensland's Health's willingness to take serious an issue that had long plagued the state's hospitals was welcome, SDQ president Dr Don Kane said.
