Compliance with common program requirements in Brazil: its effects on resident's perceptions about quality of life and the educational environment.
OBJECTIVE
In 1981, Brazil's National Committee on Medical Residency established the Common Program Requirements (CPRs), to regulate residents' work hours. The authors studied whether program violations of the CPRs regarding residents' duty hours, time for educational activities, and faculty supervision adversely affected residents' perceptions about the quality of their lives and about the educational environment.


METHODS
From October through December 2003, 88 residents from four institutions in Florianopolis (SC), Brazil were invited to participate of the study. Residents completed four instruments: a questionnaire about their program's compliance with CPRs; the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) that assesses perceptions about the learning environment; the Quality of School Life Scale (QSL), which assesses the quality of life at school; and the WHO Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL), which assesses the general quality of life. Residents were categorized according to gender, institution, year of training, specialty, and their answers on the CPRs questionnaire. DREEM, SQL, and WHOQOL scores were compared between categories.


RESULTS
A total of 62 residents (70%) responded. A significant number of residents reported their program's noncompliance with CPRs. Residents reporting program compliance rated higher parameters of general quality of life, quality of life in residency, and the educational environment.


CONCLUSIONS
Violations of Brazil's residency program CPRs are associated with residents' worse perceptions of several aspects of general quality of life, quality of life in residency, and the educational environment.
de Oliveira Filho
Getúlio Rodrigues
GR
Hospital Governador Celso Ramos, Department of Anesthesiology, Nucleus for Research in Medical Education, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. grof@th.com.br
Sturm
Eduardo Jorge Hansen
EJ
Sartorato
André Eduardo
AE
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001938:Brazil; D003479:Curriculum; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000592:standards*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce