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Effect of shift work on fatigue and sleep in neonatal registrars

Ajay P Anvekar1, Elizabeth A Nathan2,3, Dorota A Doherty2,3

  • 1Department of Neonatal Paediatrics, Perth Children Hospital, Perth, Australia.

Plos One
|January 14, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Neonatal registrars experienced increased fatigue and worsened sleep after 12-hour day and night shifts. Fatigue was more pronounced after night shifts, and sleep duration decreased before night shifts.

Area of Science:

  • Medical research
  • Sleep medicine
  • Occupational health

Background:

  • Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) require continuous staffing.
  • Registrars often work long, rotating shifts, potentially impacting performance and well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of 12-hour rotating shifts on fatigue and sleep patterns in neonatal registrars.
  • To assess objective and subjective measures of fatigue and sleep quality.

Main Methods:

  • 15 neonatal registrars participated in the study.
  • Shift work involved 12-hour day (08:00-21:00) and night (20:30-08:30) shifts.
  • Data collected included sleep diaries, subjective sleepiness questionnaires, and psychomotor vigilance tasks (PVT).

Main Results:

  • Psychomotor responses (mean reaction time, coefficient of variation, lapses) were significantly impaired at the end of shifts compared to the start.
  • Impairment was greater at the end of night shifts compared to day shifts.
  • Sleep duration was significantly reduced before night shifts and consecutive night shifts.
  • Subjective sleepiness increased after both day and night shifts.

Conclusions:

  • 12-hour day and night shifts significantly increase fatigue and reduce sleep quality in neonatal registrars.
  • Night shifts appear to have a more substantial negative impact on fatigue.
  • Further research with larger cohorts is recommended to confirm these findings.
Abstract

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