The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Duty Hour Regulations How Do We Make the Best of an Unpopular Situation in Training the Surgeons of Tomorrow?

摘要

In 2003, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) established the hour limits for postgraduate residency training programs based on an 80-hour work week, 1 day off in 7, a maximum shift length of 24 hours with 6 hours of care continuity, and overnight call coverage no more frequent than every third night. In 2011, the ACGME further restricted duty hours, with interns limited to 16-hour duty shifts, coupled with tighter junior resident supervision rules and further reduction of duty continuity to 4 hours (after a shift length of 24 hours).The primary tenets for the ACGME mandate defining duty hour limitations and increased supervision rules are to improve patient safety and quality of care and promote a safe and humanistic educational environment for all residents in training.3'4 An undeniable motivation was avoidance of public backlash to excessive hours worked by physicians in training and the threat of federal and Occupational Safety and Health Administration intervention.