Defining the Duty Hour for Surgical Trainees

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Work Hour Regulations

Background:

• Duty hour regulations are integral to surgical training.
• Accurate reporting is essential to avoid American Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) sanctions.
• Self-reporting of duty hours by residents introduces potential ambiguity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify trainee and faculty definitions of surgical duty hours.
• To investigate discrepancies between faculty and trainee perceptions of duty hours.
• To clarify which nonclinical activities contribute to surgical trainee duty hours.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous, voluntary survey was administered at a single academic institution.
• Participants responded to 14 scenarios regarding duty hour inclusion.
• Chi-square analysis compared trainee and faculty responses.

Main Results:

• Significant differences were found in perceptions of attending departmental curricula, nonmandatory journal club, and mentorship meetings.
• Controversial scenarios included home call, educational presentations, and monthly call schedules.
• Transit to and from work was least controversial, with most not including it as a duty hour.

Conclusions:

• No consensus exists on defining nonclinical activities for duty hours.
• Discrepancies between faculty and trainee definitions may impact reporting and ACGME compliance.
• Further research is needed to clarify definitions and reduce violations, optimizing trainee education.