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Wed, 19 Jun 2002 15:43:00 EDT

In a message dated 6/19/2002 3:26:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
cmursic@yahoo.com writes:

<< 2.  I do not agree with the sentiment that the U.S.
 community of patients will rise up in revolt and
 demand greater continuity of care from their
 physicians once these regulations are implemented.
 After all, we are speaking of residents, not
 attendings.  The attending will most likely continue
 seeing the patient and family every day (or more,
 depending on severity/acuity) irrespective of which
 resident team is on and what residents have been
 dismissed home to comply with the 80 - hour /week >>
Caesar--
This is precisely my major problem with these "rules"--do you not see the 
dramatic inconsistency in what you just said????  Yes--attandings provide the 
continuity!  Just as they always do.  AND--the overwhelming majority of 
patients in this country see fully trained surgeons--NOT residents.  How is 
THEIR safety being assured?--there are NO regulations on attending 
hours--thus, obviously it is OK for them to be awake and fatigued without 
limit or regulation.  First--reconcile this glaring non sequitur for me???
Second--just when, exactly, is a surgeon-in-training supposed to learn 
exactly how long it sometimes takes to care for patients--that there are 
times when patient care may mean being up more than 36 hours at a stretch, 
and more than 80 hours/week?  The day after they finish their training?
Explain, please!
ERF

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