Physician residents now have their hours restricted, and many are able to enjoy a semblance of a personal life, although some are concerned about the continuum of their patients' care being interrupted, reports the New York Times.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education set an 80-hour workweek limit for residents in 2003, whereas before they could work unlimited hours. Rules with further limits - such as the amounts of night shifts in a week and of off-days - were enacted earlier this year.
However, some residents have expressed mixed feelings about being required to leave their shifts while in the middle of providing patient care.
"Sometimes it seems so counterintuitive to just sign out as if we were shift workers, but this is all any of us know right now," said one surgical resident who had enough spare time to take an improv class.
Recent studies also indicate a weaker link between well-rested doctors and improved care than previously believed. A British Medical Journal study concluded that the work hour limitations in the U.S. have had no adverse impact on care. In Europe, residents are restricted to as little as 52 hours of work a week.
"Intuitively, these work-hour directives seem like the obvious thing to do," said Dr. Ramani Moonesinghe, lead author of a study on work hours that was published in the British Medical Journal. "But improving patient care is much more complicated than reducing shift lengths or work time."
For more details:
- Read the New York Times blog entry
- Read the British Medical Journal study