A five-year Perelman School of Medicine study, done in collaboration with John Hopkins University, concluded that capping first-year resident shifts at 16 hours makes trainees more satisfied with their training and work/life balance. But the study also concludes that this satisfaction has no impact on their work or test scores, and causes dissatisfaction among their training directors.
The study measures the benefit of shorter shifts on residents’ level of fatigue while weighing the effect of quicker turnaround of patient care, and whether fewer hand-offs between doctors is actually safer for patients than the potential for error in tired trainees. Over 1,200 interns and 62 program directors participated in the study, and their responses highlighted the divide between patient care and self-care for interns.
Read more on this report at Penn Medicine News.
