ACGME increases resident work hours

[WayOutWestMom]

The ACGME is changing the rules capping resident work hours. Currently residents may only work 16 hours without a break. The new rule change allows those 16 hour shifts to become 28 hours shifts.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education proposed the change based on research that found that the relaxed rule wouldn’t increase risks for patients, officials say. In fact, the ACGME says, the longer work hours could make patient care safer and would also improve medical training by giving young doctors more realistic experience.

“Just as drivers learn to drive under supervision in real life on the road, residents must prepare in real patient-care settings for the situations they will encounter after graduation,” said Dr. Thomas Nasca, ACGME’s chief executive officer, in a written statement announcing the proposed change.

The longer shifts could improve patient care by minimizing the number of times interns have to pass their patients onto someone else to continue their treatment, the council says. Mistakes can occur as a result of those hand-offs, the group says.

The new rules would limit interns to working no more than 24 hours at a stretch plus four hours to “manage transitions in care, promoting professionalism, empathy and commitment,” according to the announcement.

[Jugulator20]

FWIW: I do believe that medicine is not something that is learned from a book, lecture, or in some cases, the few clinical opportunities that a third or fourth year med student may get. Medicine, in fact, recognizes the shortcomings of medical school education by requiring residency training, yes? So I think it’s a good idea for interns and patients certainly in long term for interns to have more opportunities to be in clinical situations. Also S has commented about problems arising with patient care associated with more frequent hand offs under current system, especially during intern year.