RESTRICTING RESIDENT SHIFTS DOES NOT IMPROVE PATIENT CARE.

In the wake of the controversy over the long working hours of residents, which was inflamed by the well- publicized Libby Zion case, officials in New York State restricted resident shifts to a maximum of 24 consecutive hours and 80 hours weekly. To determine whether this intervention improved patient care, this retrospective study compared two cohorts of patients discharged from the general medical service of a New York hospital before and after the restrictions were enacted.

Although the cohorts (263 patients each) shared similar clinical features, rates of in-hospital medical complications were higher after residents' shifts were restricted than before (35 percent vs. 22 percent). Diagnostic test delays of more than 24 hours were significa…