Laypeople's Perspective on Physician Work-Hour Restrictions in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of the study was to examine laypeople's perspectives on the impending implementation of physician work-hour restrictions in Japan, which had received limited research attention. We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study in January 2024. The participants were monitors of an interne...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hirohisa Fujikawa MD, PhD, Junji Haruta MD, PhD
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of Patient Experience
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735241305337
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Summary:The aim of the study was to examine laypeople's perspectives on the impending implementation of physician work-hour restrictions in Japan, which had received limited research attention. We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study in January 2024. The participants were monitors of an internet survey company who responded to closed questions regarding the expected effect of work-hour regulations, along with an open-ended question regarding their expectations or concerns about these restrictions. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics for closed questions and content analysis for the open-ended questions. The study included 484 laypeople. A significant portion (25.4%) was unaware of the scheduled start of work-hour restrictions. Approximately half of the participants had a neutral view of the overall impact of the restrictions. Content analysis of the open-ended responses identified 130 (60.2%) comments as “expectations” and 70 (32.4%) as expressing “concerns,” with a notable number of comments deemed to indicate that the respondents were “unsure” or found the changes “irrelevant” to them. This study indicates a substantial gap between the views of physicians and laypeople on this issue.
ISSN:2374-3743