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.
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.