House staff manuals: a survey of pediatric residency programs.

To determine the role of house staff manuals in residency training, we did a survey of the pediatric residency directors in the United States. Questionnaires were returned from 77% of the programs (179/232). Sixty percent of respondents provided written administrative and medical guidelines to their house staff. Neonatal or pediatric intensive care and emergency protocol information were presented most frequently. Consistent patterns of content and organization were apparent in the 77 manuals reviewed, though style and size varied widely. We conclude that written departmental guidelines are a common and potentially useful educational resource. Evaluation of the effectiveness of manuals to solve patient care or administrative problems is necessary for future refinements in content and format.