Findings of the Resident Workload Using Mobile Application in Japan

TL;DR

This study used a mobile app to assess the workload and time allocation of medical residents in Japan, revealing long working hours and limited time for education and research.

Contribution

The study introduces a mobile application for tracking resident workload and provides recent data on work allocation trends in Japan.

Findings

Residents worked an average of 11 hours and 45 minutes per day with only 6 hours and 18 minutes of sleep.

Direct and indirect patient care accounted for 71% of residents' time, while education and research were limited to 9.4% and 1%, respectively.

The time spent on patient care increased over the past decade, while educational and research time remained low.

Abstract

Excessive workload among medical residents remains a social issue, particularly in Japan. The government requires management of overtime work in health institutions. Among young healthcare workers, the demand for sustainable work-life balance is increasing. This study evaluated the current workload and work allocation of postgraduate residents using a mobile application.

A cross-sectional study including postgraduate trainees from three major teaching hospitals was conducted in 2021 using a mobile application. The residents recorded their work (direct patient care, indirect patient care, education, research, administration, personal time, and others) using the application. The data were descriptively analyzed.

A total of 69 residents participated in the survey. Their mean working hours was 11 h and 45 min, and their mean sleep time was 6 h and 18 min. The proportions of work allocation time by category were 35.5% for direct patient care; 35.5%, indirect patient care; 10.1%, personal time; 9.4%, education; 8.6%, administration; and 1%, research.

The development of a mobile application enabled us to measure the residents’ workload and work allocation. The time spent on direct and indirect patient care increased over a decade, whereas the time spent on educational activities and research remained limited.

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