JAMA Surgery Study Highlights

In a study by Brian C. Drolet, M.D., of the Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, and colleagues, the majority of surgical residents who were surveyed reported that they disapprove of the 2011 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Common Program Requirements (65.9 percent).

A total of 1,013 residents in general surgery and surgical specialties at 123 ACGME-accredited teaching hospitals in the United States and U.S. territories answered a 20-question electronic survey administered six months after implementation of the 2011 ACGME regulations. Residents' perceptions of changes in education, patient care, and quality of life after institution of 2011 ACGME duty hour regulations and their compliance with these rules were assessed.

Most surgical residents indicated that education (55.1 percent), preparation for senior roles (68.4 percent), and work schedules (50.7 percent) were worse after implantation of the 2011 regulations. They reported no change in supervision (80.8 percent), safety of patient care (53.5 percent) or amount of rest (57.8 percent). A majority report increased handoffs (78.2 percent) and a shift of junior-level responsibilities to senior residents (68.7 percent), the study finds.

"The proposed benefits of the increased duty hour restrictions--improved education, patient care, and quality of life--have ostensibly not borne out in surgical training. It may be difficult for residents, particularly in surgical fields, to learn and care for patients under the 2011 ACGME regulations," the authors conclude.