Work-hour restrictions as an ethical dilemma for residents.
BACKGROUND
We propose that the standardized work-hour limitations have created an ethical dilemma for residents.


METHODS
A survey tool was designed to assess factors that influence the number of hours residents work and report. The program directors of pediatrics, internal medicine, and general surgery at our institution supported their residents' participation. A voluntary, anonymous survey of these residents was performed.


RESULTS
One hundred seventy of 265 eligible residents were surveyed. Eighty-one percent of residents surveyed responded. Eighty percent of respondents reported exceeding work-hour restrictions at least once within the past 6 months. The factor of greatest influence measured was concern for patient care (80%). Forty-nine percent of respondents admitted underreporting their work hours.


CONCLUSIONS
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education work-hour restrictions have created an ethical dilemma for residents. Our data show that a significant number of residents feel compelled to exceed work-hour regulations and report those hours falsely.
Department of General Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232-2730, USA. robert.carpenter@vanderbilt.edu
Robert O
RO
Carpenter
Mary T
MT
Austin
John L
JL
Tarpley
Marie R
MR
Griffin
Kimberly D
KD
Lomis
D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003663:Decision Trees; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000941:ethics*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance; D016526:Workload / Q000592:standards*