title: The impact of the European Working Time Directive 10 years on: views of the UK medical graduates of 2002 surveyed in 2013-2014.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report doctors' views about the European Working Time Directive ('the Directive').
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey of the medical graduates of 2002 (surveyed in 2013-2014).
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical graduates.
  
  
  METHODS
  UK.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questions on views about the Directive.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 64% (2056/3196). Twelve per cent of respondents agreed that the Directive had benefited senior doctors, 39% that it benefited junior doctors, and 17% that it had benefited the NHS. More women (41%) than men (35%) agreed that the Directive had benefited junior doctors. Surgeons (6%) and adult medical specialists (8%) were least likely to agree that the Directive had benefited senior doctors. Surgeons (20%) were less likely than others to agree that the Directive had benefited junior doctors, whilst specialists in emergency medicine (57%) and psychiatry (52%) were more likely to agree. Surgeons (7%) were least likely to agree that the Directive had benefited the NHS. Most respondents (62%) reported a positive effect upon work-life balance. With regard to quality of patient care, 45% reported a neutral effect, 40% reported a negative effect, and 15% a positive effect. Most respondents (71%) reported a negative effect of the Directive on continuity of patient care, and 71% felt that the Directive had a negative effect upon junior doctors' training opportunities. Fifty-two per cent reported a negative effect on efficiency in managing patient care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Senior doctors agreed that the Directive benefited doctors' work-life balance. In other respects, they were more negative about it. Surgeons were the least positive about aspects of the Directive.
authors.affiliation: UK Medical Careers Research Group, Unit of Health-Care Epidemiology, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX7 3LF, UK.
authors.forename: Trevor W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.affiliation: UK Medical Careers Research Group, Unit of Health-Care Epidemiology, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX7 3LF, UK.
authors.forename: Fay
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: UK Medical Careers Research Group, Unit of Health-Care Epidemiology, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX7 3LF, UK.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Goldacre
keywords: Attitude of health personnel; career choice; medical; medical education; physicians; workforce; workload/legislation and jurisprudence