ROTATING RESIDENTS IMPRESSIONS OF AN ED MANAGED BY CAREER EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS

Rotating residents (RRs) were surveyed to determine their impressions of an emergency department (ED) run by career emergency physicians (EP s), in the hope of generating insights into controversies that occur b etween the ED and other hospital departments. A questionnaire was dist ributed to RRs at Taipei Veterans General Hospital in September 1993. The questionnaire inquired about basic data, workload, and ED training and teaching, and also asked respondents for their overall evaluation of emergency medicine and EPs. Of 117 questionnaires issued to reside nts who had rotated in the ED during the previous 5 years, 60 responde nts from the departments of internal medicine, family medicine, chest medicine, neurology, and respiratory therapy completed and returned th e questionnaires. Ninety percent believed the workload of the ED to be heavy, and 87% considered two to three months to be an appropriate ED training time. Only 40% were willing to extend their ED training time to achieve a more reasonable workload, and 83% considered their ED re sidency stressful, with too many patients and long working hours cited as the leading sources of stress. Fear of malpractice suits and diffi cult interaction with patients and patients' families were also cited as stressful factors. All RRs considered ED training important; self-l earning and the accumulation of ED experience, as well as the conferen ce on emergency pitfalls, were the two aspects of training most favore d, garnering approval by 92% and 80%, respectively. The overall impres sion of the RRs on emergency medicine and the performance of EPs was f avorable. It was concluded that the running of an ED with the spirit o f emergency medicine as well as the staffing of an ED with EPs are con ducive to encouragement for the RRs, although more efforts are necessa ry to lessen the workload if the RRs are to experience an ideal learni ng environment in the ED. ((C) 1995 by W.B. Saunders Company)