Duty Hours: More Rest? More Sleep? Less Learning? by Enrique Gomez-Pomar in Juniper Publishers in Academic Journal of Pediatrics & Neonatology
Residency duty hours have been a source of controversy since its inception.There is a delicate balance between providing residents with adequate patient exposure to gain clinical skills and confidence; while providing ample time for uninterrupted rest and learning. If this relationship is not carefully managed,excessive clinical time can lead to fatigue, thereby compromising learning and patient safety. However, limiting patient interaction too much can have equally negative effects. Since the revision of duty hours in 2011 this topic has generated more controversy related to decreased patient interaction and continuity of care, without improvement in patient safety, resident fatigue, and or resident learning.
