Journal of general internal medicine
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To assess the attitudes of internal medicine housestaff and their attending physicians regarding the impact of the reduction in on-call working hours and increased supervision mandated in New York by a revision of the State Health Code (Section 405). ⋯ Housestaff had more positive attitudes about the impact of the mandated changes in working conditions for residents than did attending physicians in the same institutions. The major benefits seen by residents were less fatigue and more spare time. There was no consensus about whether these changes had a positive impact on internal medicine practice and clinical supervision. There was some concern that a shift-work mentality is developing among residents and that continuity of patient care has suffered. Thus, despite some substantial benefits, Section 405 may not be achieving its goals of improving resident supervision and the quality of patient care by houseofficers.