In 2003, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education implemented a maximum 80-hour work week for medical residents, and in 2011, shift lengths were capped at 16 consecutive hours for first-year residents and 28 hours for second-year residents and beyond.
However, these reduced hours do not mean the residents are less prepared for their post-residency careers, according to a study in Health Affairs.
Researchers analyzed admissions to Florida acute-care hospitals from 2000 to 2009 and found residents exposed to residency work hour reforms did not have statistically different rates for inpatient mortality or length of stay than those not exposed to residency work hour reforms.
Researchers suggest further analyses are required to study other possible outcomes of residency work hour reform.
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