The 2011 resident work-hour reforms appear to have no effect on patient safety outcomes, according to research published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Researchers analyzed safety outcomes among patients seen by residents and non-resident hospitalists at an academic medical center both before (2008-2011) and after (2011-2012) the work-hour changes.
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While patients were 1.4 percent more likely to have an intensive care unit stay and 2.8 percent less likely to be readmitted within 30 days of discharge after the reforms, there were no significant differences in length of stay, inpatient mortality or hospital-acquired condition rates between the pre- and postreform periods.
Researchers indicated a long-term focus will be essential to assess the impact of work-hour restrictions on patient safety going forward.
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