Resident operative experience in general surgery, plastic surgery, and urology 5 years after implementation of the ACGME duty hour policy.
OBJECTIVE
Resident duty hour restrictions were implemented in 2002-2003. This study examines changes in resident surgical experience since these restrictions were put into place.


METHODS
Operative log data for 3 specialties were examined: general surgery, urology, and plastic surgery. The academic year immediately preceding the duty hour restrictions, 2002-2003, was used as a baseline for comparison to subsequent academic years. Operative log data for graduating residents through 2007-2008 were the primary focus of the analysis. Examination of associated variables that may moderate the relationship between fewer duty hours and surgical volume was also included.


RESULTS
Plastic surgery showed no changes in operative volume following duty hour restrictions. Operative volume increased in urology programs. General surgery showed a decrease in volume in some operative categories but an increase in others. Specifically the procedures in vascular, plastic, and thoracic areas showed a consistent decrease. There was no increase in the percentage of programs' graduates falling below minimum requirements. Procedures in pancreas, endocrine, and laparoscopic areas demonstrated an increase in volume. Graduates in larger surgical programs performed fewer procedures than graduates in smaller programs; this was not the case for urology or plastic surgery programs.


CONCLUSIONS
The reduction of duty hours has not resulted in an across the board decrease in operative volume. Factors other than duty hour reforms may be responsible for some of the observed findings.
Simien
Christopher
C
Applications and Data Analysis Department, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Chicago, IL, USA. csimien@acgme.org
Holt
Kathleen D
KD
Richter
Thomas H
TH
Whalen
Thomas V
TV
Coburn
Michael
M
Havlik
Robert J
RJ
Miller
Rebecca S
RS
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002983:Clinical Competence; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D016014:Linear Models; D013518:Surgery, Plastic / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016526:Workload