New Recommendations on Resident Hours: Two Perspectives

A resident and a faculty member each express concerns about implementation of the new recommendations.

In a recently released report on resident duty hours (Resident Duty Hours: Enhancing Sleep, Supervision, and Safety), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended further measures “to promote patient safety and resident learning” after reviewing 5 years of experience with the 80-hour work rule and further data linking medical errors to physician fatigue.

The report recommends maintaining the maximum 80-hour workweek with the following provisos:

Maximum shift lengths of 30 hours but, after 16 hours, must include a “5-hour uninterrupted continuous sleep period” between 10:00 PM and 8:00 AM, during which patients are cared for by other providers.
Residents may not admit new patients after 16 on-duty hours.
Night floats may not exceed 4 consecutive …

Author

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)

F. Bruder Stapleton, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardCareer Physician

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Pediatric Nephrology Foundation (Chair)