Medical interns: Is their time well-spent?

Hospital habits—A VA study on the typical schedules of medical interns at teaching hospitals found that some 40 percent of the interns' time is spent at the computer, reviewing medical records or entering notes and orders. Only about 12 percent is spent at patients' bedsides. (Photo by Darrin Klimek/Getty Images)

If you've watched TV shows such as "Grey's Anatomy," you're familiar with the life of medical interns and residents. Or are you?

In reality, according to a recent VA study, hospital interns spend a good chunk of their on-call time—some 40 percent—on the computer, reviewing patients' charts, writing notes, or entering orders. Relatively little time—around 12 percent—is spent at patients' bedsides. Still less time, just 2 percent, is devoted to teaching or learning activities. The remaining on-call hours are typically spent in non-patient communication, such as clinical or social conversations with other team members (30 percent); downtime activities such as sleeping, eating, or emailing (11 percent); and transit (5 percent).

The study carefully tracked the activities of 25 interns at a VA teaching hospital during 2010 to compile the findings. The researchers, from three VA hospitals and their affiliated medical schools, say the findings are probably typical of any teaching hospital in the U.S., although it's possible that interns and residents in VA spend even a bit more time on the computer, because of the extensive electronic medical records available in the VA system. For example, much of a patient's medical history can often be reviewed in the database, whereas at non-VA hospitals the same information would likely need to be gleaned from an interview with the patient.

In any case, the researchers suggest that "the on-call period is a time where bedside work should be prominent." Citing recent regulations that have limited the numbers of hours that interns are allowed to be on call, the authors conclude: "As intern duty hours continue to decrease, attention should be directed towards preserving time with patients and increasing time in education." (Journal of General Internal Medicine, Nov. 2012)