Doctors-in-training are spending less time with patients than ever before. How interns and residents spend their time has been of interest to academic researchers for more than 50 years, but in the late 1980s, as training programs came under increasing pressure to limit the work hours of young doctors, one study in particular raised concerns. The researchers trailed 15 doctors-in-training over five nights and found that residents spent only about 20 percent of their time with patients, with the bulk of their nights at the hospital devoted to paperwork, tasks that did not have to be done by a doctor like drawing blood and inserting intravenous catheters, and frequently interrupted attempts at sleep.
