The effect on sleep of being on‐call: an experimental field study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to: (i) gain more insight into the relationship between being on-call and sleep and (ii) investigate the role of stress in this relationship. Data were collected by means of an experimental field study with a within-subject design (two conditions, random order). Ninety-six students participated during two consecutive nights: a reference night and a simulated on-call night without an actual call. Participants were told they could be called at any time during the on-call night. In the case of a call, participants had to perform online tasks for approximately 30 min. Self-reported sleep quality and the extent to which participants experienced stress during the on-call period were assessed by means of short questionnaires. Actigraphy was used to obtain objective sleep measures. Results for actigraphy data revealed no significant within-person differences between conditions. However, participants reported longer sleep onset latencies, more awakenings and more wake after sleep onset during the on-call night than during the reference night. They also reported more sleep problems and a lower overall sleep quality, and felt less recuperated after the on-call night. Perceived stress moderated the relationship between being on-call, on one hand, and the number of awakenings, wake after sleep onset, sleep problems and overall sleep quality, on the other hand. Results show that, even in the absence of an actual call, sleep during on-call nights is of lower quality and has less restorative value - especially when being on-call is experienced as stressful.

Subjective and objective sleep among air ambulance personnel

“…Although the number of night missions was low, the crew still received potential missions and calls that would wake them during the night, thus contributing to more frequent nocturnal awakenings and lower sleep efficiency. Additionally, results from on-call experimental field studies have indicated that wake after sleep onset increases and sleep efficiency decreases in on-call groups, even when calls did not occur, probably because their mere anticipation (i.e., of missions) increased wakefulness (Wuyts et al 2012;Ziebertz et al 2017). Receiving calls that are cancelled and the mere possibility of calls on base could hence explain our results.…”

The Impact of on-Call Work for Partners’ Sleep, Relationship Quality and Daytime Functioning

“…Explanations underlying these disturbances are related to the unpredictability of when or whether a call will be received (i.e., call likelihood), what tasks may be required to be performed upon waking, as well as concern about missing the call [27][28][29][30]. These findings have important ramifications for the daily performance of on-call workers as the subjective experience of poor sleep following being on-call has been shown to correspond to increased fatigue and feeling insufficiently recuperated [31]. Such associations appear to be supported by a recent survey study of on-call workers, which revealed that 80% of the Australian on-call population reported experiencing inadequate sleep while on-call compared to when not on-call [32].…”

On-Call Duties: The Perceived Impact on Veterinarians' Job Satisfaction, Well-Being and Personal Relationships

“…On-call work is defined as times during which employees have to be available to be called into work if needed ( 1 ). Many medical professionals, including veterinary clinicians, are required to do offsite on-call work (where they do not have to remain at the workplace but have to respond if called) as part of their job ( 2 ).…”