Dive Brief:
- Limits on working hours for U.S. medical residents, implemented in 2011, have not made any significant difference to patient safety, including risk of death or complications in surgery, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
- The reforms cap first-year residents at 16 hours per shift and require that they receive eight hours off between shifts, or 14 hours off following any 24-hour shift.
- The study adds to similar recent research that finds no positive or negative impact on patient care.
Dive Insight:
Although the reform of residents' hours was implemented due to concern for their well-being and for the safety of patients under their care, it appears to lack impact because of the trade-offs that come with it: more frequent patient handoffs may lead to less experience for residents.
“While reducing resident hours may intuitively suggest that patient care may improve, these potential gains may in part be mitigated by communication failures and adverse events stemming from increased transitions in patient care,” lead study author Dr. Ravi Rajaram, a researcher at the American College of Surgeons and Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, told Reuters.
Critics of the reform argue this study adds to a growing body of evidence that it should be reconsidered.
"The new policies are no safer,” said Dr. Karl Bilimoria, director of the surgical outcomes and quality improvement center at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, told Reuters. Bilimoria, who was not involved in the study, added, “In the face of other evidence and objections from an overwhelming majority, strategically repealing some of the duty hour reforms is merited.”