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Nigerian Surgical Trainees’ Work Schedule: It is Time for a Change!

  • Surgery in Low and Middle Income Countries
  • Published:
World Journal of Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Unregulated work schedules have deleterious effects on trainees’ productivity and patients’ safety. For these reasons, duty hours have been capped in many developed countries. Such regulations, however, appear to be lacking in many parts of Africa, and the effects of unregulated work hours in this part of the world have only been scantily documented. This study evaluated the work schedule of Nigerian surgical trainees, and its impact on their wellbeing, as well as assessed the perception of trainees towards capped duty hours.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey of 650 Nigerian Resident Doctors in surgical specialties was conducted in November 2020. Enquiries were made about their work schedules using a purpose-designed questionnaire, developed using Google Forms®. The data were analysed using the IBM SPSS version 23.

Results

The mean weekly work hours of surgical residents was 122.72 ± 34.17 h. Majority (228, 40.4%) of the residents had cumulative call hours of ≥ 72 h per week. One-half (283, 50.1%) of them worked continuously for up to 48–72 h during calls, with mean daily sleep hours of 3.53 ± 1.42 h during calls. The majority (558, 98.8%) of respondents had post-call clinical responsibilities. Seventy-five percent of the respondents reported hazards from prolonged work hours, and an overwhelming majority (530, 93.8%) desire official limits on work hours.

Conclusion

Prolonged, unregulated work schedules appear to be the norm among Nigerian surgical trainees. This trend calls for urgent measures, to avoid potentially catastrophic consequences on both physicians and patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology, and Perinatology, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria

    Akaninyene Eseme Ubom, Ibraheem Olayemi Awowole & Omotade Adebimpe Ijarotimi

  2. Department of Surgery, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria

    AbdulHafiz Oladapo Adesunkanmi, Simon Adewale Balogun, Samuel Chibuzo Ajekwu, Sinmidele Olamiposi Sowemimo, Adebayo Moses Olugbami & Olalekan Olasehinde

  3. Colorectal Surgery Unit, Department of Surgery, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Wolverhampton, UK

    Chinedu Udochukwu Ndegbu

  4. Department of Surgery, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

    Philip Ade Ekhaiyeme

  5. Department of Surgery, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria

    Olalekan Olasehinde

  6. Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology, and Perinatology, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun state, Nigeria

    Ibraheem Olayemi Awowole & Omotade Adebimpe Ijarotimi

Authors
  1. Akaninyene Eseme Ubom
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  2. AbdulHafiz Oladapo Adesunkanmi
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  3. Chinedu Udochukwu Ndegbu
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  10. Ibraheem Olayemi Awowole
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  11. Omotade Adebimpe Ijarotimi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to AbdulHafiz Oladapo Adesunkanmi.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Ubom, A.E., Adesunkanmi, A.O., Ndegbu, C.U. et al. Nigerian Surgical Trainees’ Work Schedule: It is Time for a Change!. World J Surg 45, 2653–2660 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-021-06182-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-021-06182-5

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