On-call duty is a cornerstone of hospital-based Internal Medicine, yet it remains one of the least quantified and most debated components of medical practice. Originally conceived to address unpredictable and urgent clinical situations, on-call work has progressively evolved into a key mechanism for ensuring continuity of care in increasingly complex hospital systems. In parallel, rising care demands, workforce shortages and growing concern about physician burnout have intensified scrutiny of on-call models, highlighting the need for objective data to inform organizational decisions.
