Residency Training—A Decade of Duty-Hour Regulations.

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Weinstein DF, Arora V, Drolet B, Reynolds EE. N Engl J Med. 2013;369:e32.

The implementation of resident duty hours over the past decade has been controversial. The New England Journal of Medicine hosted a roundtable discussion exploring the effects of duty hour regulations on residency training. Moderated by Dr. Debra Weinstein, the discussion featured Dr. Vineet Arora, Dr. Eileen Reynolds, and surgical resident Dr. Brian Drolet as panelists. The discussants noted the evidence for patient safety after duty-hour restrictions has not been as robust as people had predicted. They also focused on the increase in supervision, changes in sense of professionalism, and challenges of handoffs that have followed duty hours. Accompanying the video are two perspective articles written by physicians from different generations describing the benefits and drawbacks of their overnight experiences. A recent AHRQ WebM&M perspective and interview also discussed the potential impact of resident duty hours on patient safety.