Myths and Realities of the 80-Hour Work Week

The Eighty-Hour Workweek: Surgical Attendings' Perspectives

“…1,8 -11 In the area of patient care, there seems to be no significant change in morbidity and mortality related to the reduction in work hours. 1,11,14 Although improvement in quality of life has been reported in the RR population, 1,5,15 resident burnout rates have not changed. 7 The commonly held myth that a decrease in resident work hours may attract more medical students to the field of surgery has also been debunked with several reports demonstrating no such trend.…”

“…Several reports have debunked commonly held myths related to the 80-hour workweek, which are specifically related to case volume, patient care, and resident quality of life, and thus these reports continue to drive the debate. 6 - 11 Although there has been reports of decreased resident operative volume after the duty-hour restrictions, specifically emergent operative volume 12 and volume for junior residents, 13 most studies have reported no difference. 1,8 -11 In the area of patient care, there seems to be no significant change in morbidity and mortality related to the reduction in work hours.…”

Resident Case Coverage in the Era of the 80-Hour Workweek

“…These include decreased case volumes, significant changes in patient morbidity and mortality, and the ability to attract more medical students. When these issues were evaluated, studies showed there is likely no difference in case volumes, 4 -8 no significant difference in morbidity or mortality, 4,5,9 and no more medical students applying for careers in surgery. 10,11 It also seems that resident burnout rates have not changed 12 despite several reports of improved quality of life of residents.…”

How Residents Say They Learn: A National, Multi-Specialty Survey of First- and Second-Year Residents

“…Although a clear sense of the effects of limiting resident hours on learning is still emerging, concerns linger that capping weekly hours might have an adverse effect on the educational opportunities available to residents. [20][21][22][23] As clinical demands are compressed, educational time may be reduced. Tracking the changes in these 3 major sources of learning is 1 way to assess the effect of the duty hour limit on resident learning.…”