Related Experiment Videos
Impact of 24-hour call frequency (every 3rd vs every 4th day) on academic performance of general surgery residents
Mauricio Gonzalez-Urquijo1, Alfredo Verastegui1, Diego Maldonado1
1Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Av. Batallón de San Patricio 112, Real San Agustín, San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo Leon, 66260, Mexico.
Introduction:
In Mexico, where surgical residents receive formal academic grades, the effect of on-call schedules on educational outcomes has not been previously evaluated.
Methods:
This retrospective cohort study analyzed general surgery residents at a tertiary academic center. A structural change in 2020 created two cohorts: an every-third-day (Q3) schedule with 24-h shifts (2012-2015) and an every-fourth-day (Q4) schedule with 24-h shifts (2017-2021). Academic performance was obtained from institutional records and compared using appropriate statistical tests.
Results:
Sixty-three residents were included (Q3: n = 33; Q4: n = 30). Q4 residents achieved higher median scores in core curriculum (88.9 vs. 85.5, P < 0.001) and overall assessments (90.96 vs. 89.20, P < 0.001), while Q3 residents had slightly higher clinical activity scores (93.00 vs. 91.57, P < 0.001).
Conclusion:
Less frequent on-call schedules were associated with improved academic performance.
