In 2011, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education first implemented the policy of limiting the work hours, resulting in a mixed response. The policy was overturned in 2017, allowing residents to be scheduled for up to 24 hours of continuous work.
Boston-based Brigham and Womens’ Hospital researchers surveyed 21,000 residents before and after the limit was enacted.
Surveyors saw a 32 percent reduction in reports of significant medical errors, a 34 percent reduction in reported preventable adverse events and a 63 percent reduction in reported medical errors resulting in patient death.
