As we demonstrate the ResQ system to hospital staffs, many people assume the system was created with administrators and hospital compliance in mind. Although the ResQ system greatly eases the lives of administrators and does help in adhering to guidelines and hospital organization, it was actually created for residents.
To gain more insight on the start of ResQ, I sat down with Co-Founder Scott Porter. Here’s what he had to say about the evolution of ResQ:
“Resident physicians are constantly faced with the moral dilemma imposed by ACGME work hour restrictions. If a resident stays beyond the allotted hours (not an infrequent occurrence) to provide patient care, she is violating established rules and puts the institution at risk of ACGME sanctions. On the other hand, abiding by work hour restrictions carries consequences that are immediate and worse for the individual resident including the stigma of being a “bad resident” – one who is willing to abandon their team to go home and rest or one who lacks dedication to education and patient care.
This burden is almost always shouldered by the resident alone as he or she is the one who must physically decide to stay or leave. It is a no win situation for residents but one they must face nearly every day.
This dilemma is truly unfair and pervasive; it personally caused me more stress than any other aspect of my training. A solution is long overdue.
From my standpoint, the problem exists due to a lack of consistency between organizations as well as lack of departmental transparency and resources. I firmly believe that residents want someone else to shoulder the burden of this dilemma. “Please, just tell me to go home or tell me to stay. I just want to be the best Physicisn I can be and I want to follow the rules”. Unfortunately, for far too many residents this solution does not exist.
My mind is always going. I am constantly trying to find solutions, not only to my patients’ problems, but also on a larger scale as well.
ResQ is my answer to the dilemma.
I have put a tremendous amount of thought into the system. It is fundamentally designed for the resident. ResQ automatically tracks and monitors resident work hours to ensure compliance with ACGME restrictions. Residents log in by walking into the hospital or clinic with a smartphone on hand. ResQ does the rest.”