Internal Medicine Residents' Perspectives on Effects of 2011 ACGME Work Hour Regulations on Patient Care

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) introduced new work hour limitations in July 2011. Purposes: The aim is to assess internal medicine residents' perspectives on the impact of these limitations on their ability to discharge patient care duties. Methods: An anonymous survey was administered to 158 medicine residents in an urban university-affiliated internal medicine residency program. Residents' perspectives on various aspects of patient care were recorded on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Results: The response rate was 62%. The majority of residents (80%) agreed that patients had adequate continuity of care. Most residents agreed that they had enough time to follow up on consult notes (64% agreed) and investigations (80% agreed) daily. Most PGY-1 residents (59%) reported having enough time to prepare sign-outs. Most (60%) residents felt that reducing handoffs would improve patient care. Conclusions: Most residents believe that the new work hour limitations would continue to uphold patient safety, but handoffs in care must be restricted.