title: Which tasks performed by pre-registration house officers out of hours are appropriate?
abstract: This paper seeks to identify tasks performed out of hours by pre-registration house officers and to determine whether they could be performed by someone other than a doctor. It was conducted in two parts: a descriptive study in four hospitals using diaries and interviews and a consensus panel consisting of four consultants, three junior doctors, and two nurses. The panel agreed that one-third of the tasks performed by house officers at night could be done by someone other than a doctor. The work-load of house officers could be reduced considerably by providing additional clerical and administrative support and a more widespread adoption of an extended role for nurses. However, the greater professional independence of nurses which may result might require doctors to redefine some of their roles.
authors.affiliation: Health Services Research Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McKee
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Priest
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ginzler
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Black
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008131:London; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D010819:Physician's Role; D011364:Professional Practice; D013997:Time Factors; D016526:Workload