Did the Implementation of Duty Hours Standards Affect Residents' Performance on Their Medical Board Examination?

• In Event: 16.031 - Large-Scale Assessments: Issues in Development and Score Interpretation

Abstract

In 2003, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education introduced the Standards for Resident Duty Hours, which limited residents’ work week to 80 hours. This study investigates whether the implementation of the Standards affect residents’ performance on their medical Board examination. No significant impact on residents’ Board examination were found. However, residents affected by the Standards only in the later part of their residency training performed the best. The performance of residents graduated from American medical schools was better after the implementation of the Standards, while the performance of residents graduated from international medical schools decreased. These findings may contribute to the evidence-based approach in evaluating the inflexibility of the duty hour restrictions and the impact on different resident groups.

Authors

• Ying Du, American Board of Pediatrics

• Rachael Jin Bee Tan, Schroeder Measurement Technologies, Inc.