Duty Hour Basics
The maximum number of duty hours allowed per week, averaged over 4 weeks.
What is 80 hours?
The minimum number of hours residents must have free between scheduled duty periods.
What is 8 hours (10 is recommended)?
The maximum number of consecutive weeks a resident may be assigned to night float.
What is six consecutive weeks?
The type of moonlighting that counts toward the 80-hour weekly limit.
What is both internal and external moonlighting?
A resident’s logs show 82 hours per week for three consecutive weeks. The coordinator must take this action.
What is notify the Program Director and implement a corrective plan?
The maximum length of continuous duty for residents, plus additional transition and education time.
What is 24 hours of in-house duty plus up to 4 hours?
The required number of days off per week, averaged over 4 weeks.
What is one 24-hour period free of all clinical and educational duties?
The minimum average frequency allowed for in-house call duties.
What is no more frequently than every third night, averaged over 4 weeks?
The required approval residents must obtain before moonlighting.
What is written permission from the Program Director?
A resident reports being pressured to stay past 28 hours for continuity of care. The appropriate response for the coordinator.
What is to remind supervising faculty of ACGME limits and escalate as needed?
The minimum frequency programs must monitor and review residents’ duty hour data.
What is at least quarterly?
The required rest period after completing 24 hours of in-house duty.
What is a minimum of 8 hours off before the next duty period?
The distinction between in-house call and home call.
What is that in-house call requires on-site presence, while home call is remote unless called in?
The organization that can approve an increase beyond the 80-hour limit for eligible programs.
What is the ACGME Review Committee?
A faculty member asks to adjust duty logs to avoid a violation. The coordinator’s proper course of action.
What is refuse to alter records and report concerns to the DIO or compliance office?
A common tool or method coordinators use to track and verify duty hour compliance.
What is New Innovations?
The ACGME rule that limits PGY-1 residents to a certain number of continuous hours.
What is the 16-hour rule?
The duty hour rule applied when residents are called back to the hospital from home call.
What is that all time spent in the hospital counts toward duty hours?
The total number of weekly hours a program may apply for under an approved exception.
What are the psychological, emotional, and physical well-being?
A resident regularly misses required days off because of clinic coverage. The compliance issue identified.
What is a violation of the one-day-off-in-seven rule?
All activities related to patient care and education that count toward total duty hours.
What are clinical care, conferences, and administrative tasks related to patient care?
The program’s responsibility when residents repeatedly report rest-period violations.
What is to investigate and document corrective action?
The program’s responsibility for ensuring compliance with night float scheduling standards.
What is to monitor workload, ensure adequate rest, and review resident feedback?
The individual responsible for ensuring that moonlighting does not interfere with education or patient safety.
Who is the Program Director?
A resident’s moonlighting hours push their total above 80 hours per week. The parties accountable for the violation.
Who are both the resident and the Program Director?
The three primary goals that the ACGME duty hour requirements are designed to protect.
What are patient safety, resident education, and resident well-being/work-life balance?