A surgical program. Director's view.

Abstract

In summary, the two major facts that have emerged from a year and a half of experience with 405 regulations are shown in Table VI. The increased staffing with the monies made available has greatly enhanced patient care and decreased the resident workload. I want to again compliment Dr. Axelrod for the foresight to make these funds available despite adverse criticism. He clearly understood that the changes needed were quite expensive because the problems are primarily economic in origin. What type of paramedical personnel are needed is yet uncertain. I mentioned briefly earlier that the "data manager" combines an excellent administrative secretary and a nurse. The simple institution of electronic data processing can, surprisingly enough, worsen the problem rather than help. For example, institution of a beeper system, making it possible for anyone to "beep" a house officer at any time, resulted in an astonishing increase in "beeper frequency," a house officer receiving seven or eight such messages per hour, 24 hours a day, rather than communicating by other methods. Such "instant" communication can become a serious hazard rather than a help. Second, as repeatedly mentioned, the on-call time concept is crucial, permitting flexibility that avoids fatigue and yet maintains continuity of care. Otherwise there is a real danger with a rigid time-on/time-off schedule.