Journal of Surgical Education
Volume 66, Issue 3 , Pages 140-145, May 2009

Has the 80-Hour Workweek Improved Surgical Resident Education in New England?

Presented at the 88th Annual Meeting of the New England Surgical Society, Burlington, Vermont, September 28-30, 2007.

  • Erica B. Sneider, MD
    • ,
  • Anne C. Larkin, MD
    • ,
  • Shimul A. Shah, MD

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence: Inquiries to Shimul A. Shah, MD, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Massachusetts, 55 Lake Avenue North, S3-838, Worcester, MA 01655; fax: (508) 856-1102

Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts

published online 17 February 2009.

Objective

To evaluate the effect of the 80-hour workweek restrictions on resident education within surgical programs in the New England area.

Design

Web-based survey.

Setting

All Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited surgical residency programs in New England (n = 20).

Participants

Program directors/coordinators in each surgical residency program in New England.

Main Outcome Measures

First, American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) scores and the passing rate of the ABS certifying examination were recorded for the years 2001, 2002, 2005, and 2006. Second, the changes in the curriculum of surgical education were documented as perceived by program coordinators and directors.

Results

In all, 85% (17/20) of surgical programs in New England responded to the survey. The programs began to implement the 80-hour workweek from 2002 to 2004. An equal distribution of community (n = 8) and university programs (n = 9) was sampled. Prior to the initiation of the 80-hour workweek, residency programs emphasized weekly didactic sessions given by attending physicians (88%), mock orals (88%), and conventional journal club (76%). After the 80-hour workweek was implemented, the education curriculum most often consisted of didactic sessions by attending (100%), mock orals (88%), and simulation laboratories (75%). No difference was observed in ABSITE scores and first-time pass rates of the ABS examination before or after the introduction of the 80-hour workweek (20% response). Only 25% of programs felt that surgical education was improved after the implementation of the 80-hour workweek, whereas 31% felt education was worse. Overall, 44% of respondents believed that there was no difference in surgical education.

Conclusions

Despite the positive effects the 80-hour workweek has had on resident quality of life and patient care, it does not seem that either significant improvements or detrimental effects have occurred on surgical education within residency programs in New England.

Competency: Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Practice Based Learning and Improvement

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PII: S1931-7204(08)00276-6

doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2008.10.005

Journal of Surgical Education
Volume 66, Issue 3 , Pages 140-145, May 2009

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