The evolution of restricted hours of duty for resident medical officers in New Zealand: a personal view

Abstract

The New Zealand Health Service had to start adapting to significant restrictions in junior medical staff's hours of work in the mid-1980s. Some consequences of this presage those that will occur in the UK and Europe with the implementation of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD). These naturally include continuity of patient care, changing responsibility and hours of senior medical and administrative staff, some aspects of medical professionalism and training issues. Life does, however, go on.