| Author: | Krings, A. Backes-Gellner, U. Bollschweiler, E. |
| Title: | Alternative Arbeitszeitmodelle und die Qualität der Patien- tenversorgung - eine empirische Studie auf chirurgischen In- tensivstationen |
| Journal: | Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft
1999 : ERGÄNZUNGSHEFT 5, p. 125-146 |
| Index terms: | WORKING CONDITIONS HOURS OF WORK GERMANY HOSPITALS |
| Language: | ger |
| Abstract: | The German Working Time Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz) which came in force on January 1st 1996 for hospital physicians dicta- tes severe restrictions on daily working time. Thereby, well-established working time patterns in hospitals became legally disputable. This paper analyses the impact of alter- native shift models on the quality of patient care in surgi- cal intensive care units: the two- and the three-shift-model with shift durations of twelve resp. eight hours. The Arbeitszeitgesetz refers to ergonomic studies which imply a lower work load and a higher quality of patient care in the three-shift-model. However we cannot empirically find a sig- nificant difference in the work load of physicians under the two different shift models. Hence, the limitation of working time has to be judged as rather detrimental to quality of patient care in surgical intensive care units (original in German). |
SCIMA