Laypeople's Perspective on Physician Work-Hour Restrictions in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine laypeople's perspectives on the impending implementation of physician work-hour restrictions in Japan, which had received limited research attention. We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study in January 2024. The participants were monitors of an internet survey company who responded to closed questions regarding the expected effect of work-hour regulations, along with an open-ended question regarding their expectations or concerns about these restrictions. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics for closed questions and content analysis for the open-ended questions. The study included 484 laypeople. A significant portion (25.4%) was unaware of the scheduled start of work-hour restrictions. Approximately half of the participants had a neutral view of the overall impact of the restrictions. Content analysis of the open-ended responses identified 130 (60.2%) comments as “expectations” and 70 (32.4%) as expressing “concerns,” with a notable number of comments deemed to indicate that the respondents were “unsure” or found the changes “irrelevant” to them. This study indicates a substantial gap between the views of physicians and laypeople on this issue.