Many New Docs Break Work Hour Rules
A recent study from the Archives of Surgery found that 6/10 residents (doctors in training) worked longer than the prescribed 80 hour limit set forth by regulatory bodies. This means that 8 years since the laws were passed, the system still has not fully adapted to the mandated changes.
While all residency programs force residents to log their work hours, it is unclear how many of them are honest in their reporting. If 6/10 surgical residents are working more than the stipulated 80 hour work week, then more than half of the surgery programs would theoretically be at risk for probation.
Not long ago we were surgical residents and recognize the extreme time pressure that they face. We also see the flipside: duty dictates that you prioritize the care of a sick patient over work hour stipulations.
Nobody knows exactly how this will play out. Will hospitals provide more “mid level” providers (PAs, NPs) to pick up the slack so that these overworked residents can fall into compliance? If so, with what money? Will doctors merely cut back on services? Or will residents in some specialties keep cranking out the hours in hopes of flying under the radar?
One thing is certain, mandated resident work hours are due to decrease yet again this July when the ACGME further limits resident intern shifts to 16 hours. Articles such as the one above will draw more attention to the problem and closer monitoring by the ACGME may follow. If this is the case, systems may get further stressed and programs will have to find new ways to cope with and ever higher number of shift changes.
The List is a program specifically designed to streamline better hand off of patient care plans. If hand offs continue to rise -and there’s no indication that they won’t- software like ours will be needed to better handle the myriad of data changing hands among residents in training. For a free trial of the List go to www.thelist.md.
