Implementation of a novel night float call system: resident satisfaction and quality of life

Abstract

Background: Compliance with Professional Association of Internes and Residents ofOntario duty hour guidelines has been problematic at our institution. To facilitate orthopedic residents' ability to go home postcall without significant disruption of ongoing clinical activities, a novel call system was adopted at our tertiary care centre. We sought to evaluate the satisfaction and quality of life of orthopaedic residents with that system. Methods:We administered questionnaires to on-service residents. These included the Short Form-36 questionnaire and others addressing topics including education, stress, work-related problems and miscellaneous concerns.Results: Seventeen residents were surveyed: 6 who had just completed a night float rotation, and 11 who were on a regular orthopedic service rotation while the night float system was in place. Quality of life was similar between residents on the night float block and those on the standard rotation; it was also similar to age-matched Canadian normative data. Eighty-nine percent of residents agreed that the presence of the night float rotation improved their quality of life on standard rotations, and 100% felt that their education was improved on standard rotations by having the night float system in place. Conclusion:This call system results in improved resident quality of life and widespread overall satisfaction, and may be considered as a viable alternative to traditional call formats. Follow-up data as more residents experience the night float block will be valuable.Contexte : La conformité aux lignes directrices de l'Association professionnelle des résidents et internes de l'Ontario en matière d'horaires de travail pose un problème dans notre établissement. Pour permettre aux résidents en orthopédie de retourner plus facilement à la maison après un appel, sans nuire significativement aux activités cliniques en cours, notre établissement de soins tertiaires s'est doté d'un nouveau système d'appel. Nous avons voulu mesurer la satisfaction des résidents en orthopédie à l'endroit de ce système et évaluer leur qualité de vie.Méthodes : Nous avons administré des questionnaires aux résidents de garde, incluant le questionnaire SF-36 (Short Form-36) et d'autres questionnaires sur la formation, le stress, les problèmes liés au travail et diverses autres questions.Résultats : Dix-sept résidents ont répondu aux questionnaires : 6 venaient de terminer leur garde dans une équipe de nuit et 11 travaillaient selon l'horaire régulier de l'orthopédie pendant que le système de garde de nuit était en place. La qualité de vie a été similaire entre les résidents de l'équipe de garde de nuit et ceux qui suivaient l'horaire régulier; elle s'est également révélée similaire en comparaison avec des données canadiennes assorties selon l'âge. Quatre-vingt-neuf pour cent des résidents se sont dits d'avis que la présence de l'équipe de nuit améliorait leur qualité de vie lors de leurs gardes régulières et 100 % ont estimé que leur formation se trouvait améliorée lors des gardes régulières du ...

Implementation of a resident night float system in a surgery department in Korea for 6 months: electronic medical record-based big data analysis and medical staff survey

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Defining Service and Education in Pediatrics

“…Duty hour restrictions have led many programs to implement night float systems so as to avoid long stretches of continuous hours working overnight on call and minimize duty hour violations. 11 Such innovative schedules have led to improved resident satisfaction and quality of life, 12 and some data indicate residents perceive quality of care to be higher with a night float system. 13 On the other hand, eliminating overnight call has also compromised clinical exposure in some training settings 14 and may actually be detrimental for trainee sleep.…”