First Trial - Overview

Flexibility In duty hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees (FIRST) Trial

The FIRST Trial was a national, cluster-randomized, pragmatic noninferiority trial to test whether surgical-patient outcomes under flexible, less-restrictive duty-hour policies would be no worse than outcomes under standard ACGME policies. Secondary outcomes also studied included resident satisfaction, resident perceptions of patient care, resident education, and resident well-being. Of the 136 eligible general surgery residency programs, 117 (87%) programs and 151 affiliated hospitals participated. Programs and their affiliate hospitals were randomized to the control group (standard-policy group) or the intervention group (flexible-policy group). Outcomes were measured using ACS NSQIP data and the American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE) survey.

If you are interested in learning more about the FIRST Trial, please reach out to our team at SENTteam@iu.edu

Media Attention

Selected Publications