Pediatrics residents’ perceptions of the impact of the 24-hour on-call system
Summary
Pediatrics residents’ perceptions of the impact of the 24-hour on-call system on their well-being and education and patient safety
According to reports by various authors, the length of working hours for residents are correlated with their well-being and ability to deliver. Additionally, working for more than twenty hours can hurt the residents’ health through fatigue, mental issues, and self-harm behaviors. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate how residents perceived the 24-hour in-hospital calls and the effects of on-duty restrictions on their well-being, education, and patient safety.
The methods for this cross-sectional survey involved sampling a total of 282 registered residents in Saudi Arabia. Data collection involved distributing questions to the participants through conferences, email, and an online survey. Furthermore, the questionnaires had three sections, which asked for the residents’ information regarding demographic details, their opinion of the 24-hour working system, and their preference of either the 24 or 16-hour on-call schedule. SPSS software and the Cronbach’s alpha measurement enabled the carrying out of the statistical analysis.
From the results, 314 residents participated in this study, with female respondents at about 53%. Over 90% (286) of the residents felt that the 24-hour on-call system should be discontinued. Of all the reasons that should lead to discontinuation of the system, residents mentioned that missing out on academic activities was the most significant contributor for their opinion, followed by decreased performance, general health, and the effect on their memory. Moreover, the results showed that residents with different training levels had different perceptions of the 24-hour on-call shifts. The solution suggested for the negative impact of long working hours was transitioning to the night float system. Several limitations facing this study were possible residents’ bias and subjective other than objective measurements. In conclusion, Alsohime stated that the 24-hour system harmed the well-being of residents, their education, and patient safety. Nevertheless, this study recommended further research for an in-depth analysis of the effect of the residents’ duty hours.