Impact of resident group action on orthopedic trauma care at a level 1 trauma center in Korea

Residents in Korea have organized a movement against medical policies. People in the country are concerned that this can harm the medical system. We analyzed changes in trauma volumes and types among orthopedic patients and the mental status of doctors at a regional trauma center in Korea before and after residents took group action. We retrospectively reviewed the institutional trauma registry at our center from September 2023 to August 2024 to study changes before and after the group action of residents. We investigated demographic changes, including the overall number of patients and the mortality rate. We also divided the patients into groups according to their injury severity scores for subgroup analysis. Additionally, we investigated the patient health questionnaire-9 and Korean Epworth Sleepiness Scale (K-ESS) scores, which reflect the mental status of the remaining doctors, to assess their burden. The total number of patients decreased significantly from 404 in the first period to 150 in the second period ( P < .001). The number of non-severe cases decreased from 361 to 104, while the number of severe cases remained the same (43 vs 46). In the severe group, other parameters, including the mortality rate, remained unchanged. Both the patient health questionnaire-9 and K-ESS scores significantly increased before and after the incident, indicating an increased burden on the remaining doctors. The orthopedic department experienced a decrease in non-severe case numbers and no significant changes in patient or mortality rates post-residential action, but an increased burden on the remaining doctors.