It's pretty widely discussed but I don't think it's as well studied as it should be. The shift from 24 to ~16 was made without much evidence, and analyses subsequently didn't support the change.

An awareness that we need to study these decisions before making them has finally taken hold. To that end, trials are now ongoing that have randomized residency programs to the (shorter+more handoffs) vs (longer) shifts.

Patient outcomes are obviously the most important, but measures of physician wellness would be a valuable secondary outcome.