Japanese Specialty Resident Survey Tracks Working Hours and Hospital Presence
A survey administered in Japanese asked specialty trainees about weekly working hours, hospital presence, overnight duties, and institutional characteristics. Response options for weekly working hours ranged from under 40 to 100 or more hours.
- The survey collected information on hospital presence and working hours from specialty trainees.
- The survey instrument tracked weekly working hours, hospital presence, overnight duties, and institutional characteristics including bed size and reform progress.
- The questionnaire also included contextual items on perceived progress of physician work style reform and expected effects on healthcare quality, patient safety, and specialty training.
Researchers administered the survey in Japanese. The instrument captured postgraduate year status ranging from PGY3 to PGY6 or later, alongside basic specialty fields such as internal medicine, surgery, and pediatrics. Investigators structured specific items to differentiate between direct working hours and total hospital presence, incorporating outside clinical work and moonlighting activities.
Participants selected from multiple-choice brackets spanning from under 40 hours to 100 or more hours per week. Additional inquiries recorded the frequency of monthly overnight or on-call duties and standard post-duty schedules. Institutional variables documented hospital ownership types, ranging from public facilities to national university hospitals and private institutions, alongside total bed capacities scaling from fewer than 200 beds to 1,000 or more.
The survey queried residents on the perceived advancement of physician work style reforms within their training sites. Response categories measured institutional adaptation on a scale from substantial progression to a lack of observable change. Participants further evaluated expected consequences for healthcare quality, patient safety, and the overall educational standard of specialty training.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and scientific communication purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding any medical condition, diagnosis, or treatment plan.