Are ob/gyns working harder?

No more than they have in the past, according to the Medical Economics Continuing Survey of MDs and DOs in office-based practices (10/8/04). This year ob/gyns put in an average of 60 hours per week-the same number of hours they worked in 2001. Moreover, the median number of patients ob/gyns see in a typical week was 101 in 2004 and 100 in 2001.

When compared to all primary care physicians (a group that includes ob/gyns, family physicians, general practitioners, internists, and pediatricians), ob/gyns put in more hours this year-60 versus 50 respectively. But ob/gyns saw slightly fewer patients than primary care physicians as a group-101 versus 108, respectively.

Overall, primary care physicians saw their median workweek decreased by 5 hours in 2001, and the median number of patient visits fell from 110 in 2001 to 108 in 2004.