Effect of the ACGME 16-Hour Rule on Efficiency and Quality of Care: Duty Hours 2.0

In July 2011, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) reduced the consecutive number of hours that post-graduate year-1 residents can work in a single shift, from 30 to 16.1 This rule was intended to improve patient safety by reducing residents’ fatigue. Many worry that the new duty hour policy increases patient care handovers, which may cause patient harm. The net effect of the 16-hour duty limits on patient outcomes is uncertain.