Report: Cap on residency hours didn’t adversely affect outcomes

Are physicians less well trained as a result of work-hour reforms that cap residents’ work hours at 80 hours per week? An article in the October issue of HealthAffairs suggests duty-hour limits haven’t adversely affected hospital mortality and length-of-stay. Authors Anupam B. Jena, MD, PhD; Lena Schoemaker, BA: and Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, analyzed a unique database of nearly all hospitalizations in Florida from 2000 to 2009, studying whether hospital mortality and patients’ length-of-stay varied according to the number of years a physician was exposed to the 2003 duty-hour regulations during his or her residency.

“We found that the duty-hour reforms did not adversely affect hospital mortality and length-of-stay of patients cared for by new attending physicians who were partly or fully exposed to reduced duty hours during their own residency. However, assessment of the impact of the duty-hour reforms on other clinical outcomes is needed,” the authors stated.