Impact of the European Working Time Directive on Anaesthetic Training
Author Information
Author(s): Bowhay Andrew R
Primary Institution: Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital
Hypothesis
What are the perceptions of anaesthetic Specialist Registrars regarding the impact of the European Working Time Directive on their training and quality of life?
Conclusion
The majority of anaesthetic SpRs in the Mersey Deanery have not welcomed the changes brought by the EWTD to their training, experience and quality of life outside work.
Supporting Evidence
- 71.8% of trainees believed the EWTD has had a deleterious effect on their training.
- 74.3% thought they will be less prepared for a consultant post.
- 69.9% considered that their quality of life outside work had deteriorated.
Takeaway
Doctors in training are working fewer hours, but many feel this has made their training worse and affected their lives outside of work.
Methodology
Cross-sectional survey using a quantitative questionnaire with qualitative comments.
Potential Biases
Subjective perceptions of the effects of change may vary over time.
Limitations
Findings are limited to one Deanery and cannot be generalized to the UK population of trainees.
Participant Demographics
Participants included 73 anaesthetic Specialist Registrars from the Mersey Deanery.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.0001
Confidence Interval
95% CI 60.7 – 81.3
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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