The impact of work time control on physicians' sleep and well-being

Abstract

Physicians' work schedules are an important determinant of their own wellbeing and that of their patients. This study considers whether allowing physicians control over their work hours ameliorates the effects of demanding work schedules. A questionnaire was completed by hospital physicians regarding their work hours (exposure to long shifts, short inter-shift intervals, weekend duties, night duties, unpaid overtime; and work time control), sleep (quantity and disturbance) and wellbeing (burnout, stress and fatigue). Work time control moderated the negative impact that frequent night working had upon sleep quantity and sleep disturbance. For participants who never worked long shifts, work time control was associated with fewer short sleeps, but this was not the case for those who did work long shifts. Optimizing the balance between schedule flexibility and patient needs could enhance physicians' sleep when working the night shift, thereby reducing their levels of fatigue and enhancing patient care.

A Critical Care Societies Collaborative Statement: Burnout Syndrome in Critical Care Health-care Professionals. A Call for Action

“…Another often-minimized factor underlying the risk for BOS is the nearly inevitable consequence of extended shift work: sleep disruption. This condition may take the form of insufficient sleep quantity and/or quality, or even inadequate sleep recovery, the latter requiring periods of sleep after night shifts more extensive than would normally be the case when working normal daytime schedules (36)(37)(38)(39). Other unit-based factors that are associated with increased rates of BOS include working in a university hospital setting and in a pediatric critical care unit (8).…”

An Official Critical Care Societies Collaborative Statement—Burnout Syndrome in Critical Care Health-care Professionals

“…This condition may take the form of insufficient sleep quantity and/or quality, or even inadequate sleep recovery, the latter requiring periods of sleep after night shifts more extensive than would normally be the case when working normal daytime schedules. [36][37][38][39] Other unit-based factors that are associated with increased rates of BOS include working in a university hospital setting and in a pediatric critical care unit. 8 and even suicidal ideation.…”

Quick returns and night work as predictors of sleep quality, fatigue, work–family balance and satisfaction with work hours

“…in Swedish healthcare, quick returns of around 9 hours are common. Statistics on the prevalence of quick returns are scarce but a Norwegian study showed that 81.2 % of a sample of nurses (n= 1990) reported having quick returns (Eldevik et al, 2013), whereas in a representative sample of Swedish doctors (n=1534) the prevalence was 64 % (Tucker et al, 2013).…”