ACGME reports broad compliance with new work hour rules

In a recent report, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) said it found widespread compliance with the new resident work hour rules.

The new duty hour standards took effect on July 1, 2003. In its reviews over the past year, the ACGME reported that only 100 programs--out of more than 2,000--received citations for work-hour violations, while only 3% of responding residents surveyed reported working more than 80 hours a week during the previous four weeks, one of the new rules.

According to the report, the accrediting body received 53 complaints from residents about rule violations. Of those complaints, 11 were dismissed and 42 were followed up with actions ranging from requesting compliance progress reports to placing programs on probation.

In addition to limiting the number of weekly hours residents can work averaged over four weeks, the rules include requirements related to call schedules, time off and the number of consecutive hours residents can work.