An interview with Sir William Osler on resident work hours and physician responsibility in the 21st century

Abstract

Since 2003, duty hour regulations (DHRs) imposed by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) have been a controversial issue in the medical community. The conflict touches upon the ethical principles of beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, and the activities of every physician. However, the controversy concerning DHR presents opportunities for reevaluating a physician’s roles, responsibilities, and work-life balance in the 21st century. In this article, the DHR controversy is discussed through the thoughts and ideas of Sir William Osler using an interview format. An internal medicine residency program director adds comments to this discussion based on his understanding of current ACGME regulations.

Keywords:

• ACGME guidelines
• professionalism
• William Osler
• work hour regulations

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Kenneth Nugent at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center for his advice and support writing this article.