Have restricted working hours reduced junior doctors' experience of fatigue? A focus group and telephone interview study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To explore the effects of the UK Working Time Regulations (WTR) on trainee doctors' experience of fatigue.

Design

Qualitative study involving focus groups and telephone interviews, conducted in Spring 2012 with doctors purposively selected from Foundation and specialty training. Final compliance with a 48 h/week limit had been required for trainee doctors since August 2009. Framework analysis of data.

Setting

9 deaneries in all four UK nations; secondary care.

Participants

82 doctors: 53 Foundation trainees and 29 specialty trainees. 36 participants were male and 46 female. Specialty trainees were from a wide range of medical and surgical specialties, and psychiatry.

Results

Implementation of the WTR, while acknowledged as an improvement to the

SUBMITTER: Morrow G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3948452 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature