@Article{info:doi/10.2196/26763, author="Wang, Hsiao-Han and Lin, Yu-Hsuan", title="Assessing Physicians' Recall Bias of Work Hours With a Mobile App: Interview and App-Recorded Data Comparison", journal="J Med Internet Res", year="2021", month="Dec", day="24", volume="23", number="12", pages="e26763", keywords="smartphone; mobile app; work hours; recall bias; time perception; physicians; labor policy", abstract="Background: Previous studies have shown inconsistencies in the accuracy of self-reported work hours. However, accurate documentation of work hours is fundamental for the formation of labor policies. Strict work-hour policies decrease medical errors, improve patient safety, and promote physicians' well-being. Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate physicians' recall bias of work hours with a mobile app, and to examine the association between the recall bias and physicians' work hours. Methods: We quantified recall bias by calculating the differences between the app-recorded and self-reported work hours of the previous week and the penultimate week. We recruited 18 physicians to install the ``Staff Hours'' app, which automatically recorded GPS-defined work hours for 2 months, contributing 1068 person-days. We examined the association between work hours and two recall bias indicators: (1) the difference between self-reported and app-recorded work hours and (2) the percentage of days for which work hours were not precisely recalled during interviews. Results: App-recorded work hours highly correlated with self-reported counterparts (r=0.86-0.88, P<.001). Self-reported work hours were consistently significantly lower than app-recorded hours by --8.97 (SD 8.60) hours and --6.48 (SD 8.29) hours for the previous week and the penultimate week, respectively (both P<.001). The difference for the previous week was significantly correlated with work hours in the previous week (r=--0.410, P=.01), whereas the correlation of the difference with the hours in the penultimate week was not significant (r=--0.119, P=.48). The percentage of hours not recalled (38.6{\%}) was significantly higher for the penultimate week (38.6{\%}) than for the first week (16.0{\%}), and the former was significantly correlated with work hours of the penultimate week (r=0.489, P=.002) Conclusions: Our study identified the existence of recall bias of work hours, the extent to which the recall was biased, and the influence of work hours on recall bias. ", issn="1438-8871", doi="10.2196/26763", url="https://www.jmir.org/2021/12/e26763", url="https://doi.org/10.2196/26763", url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34951600" }