Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2025
Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
The burden of peri-operative work at night as perceived by anaesthesiologists: An international survey
Andrea Cortegiani1, Mariachiara Ippolito, Ines Lakbar
1From the Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Science (Di.Chir.On.S.), University of Palermo (AC, MI, AG), Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Emergency, Policlinico Paolo Giaccone, Palermo, Italy (AC, MI, AG), Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Unit, Aix Marseille University, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux Universitaires de Marseille, Nord Hospital, Marseille, France (IL), Department of Paediatric and Obstetric Anaesthesia, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark (AA), Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care, Emergency and Pain Medicine, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany (PK), Consorcio Hospital General Universitario de Valencia, Avenida Tres Cruces, Valencia. Methodology Research Department, Universidad Europea de Valencia, Spain (CSRG), Department of Anaesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain, Tata Memorial Hospital, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India (SNM), Department of Intensive Care, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Location 'AMC', AZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands (MJS), Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand (MJS), Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford University, Oxford, UK (MJS), Department of Anaesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Policlinico Umberto I Teaching Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome (FB), Section of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Intensive Care, Department of Surgical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia (EdeR), Division of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Department of Human Pathology of the Adult and Evolutive Age 'Gaetano Barresi', University of Messina, Policlinico 'G. Martino', Messina, Italy (AN) and General Intensive Care Unit of the Shaare Zedek Medical Centre and the Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel (SE).
Background:
No international data are available on the night working conditions and workload of anaesthesiologists and their opinions about associated risks.
Objective:
The aim of this international survey was to describe the peri-operative night working conditions of anaesthesiologists and their perception of the impact these conditions have on patient outcomes and their own quality of life.
Design:
Cross-sectional survey.
Setting:
Not applicable.
Participants:
Anaesthesiologists providing peri-operative care during night shifts responded to an online survey promoted by the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC).
Interventions:
None.
Main Outcome Measure:
Twenty-eight closed questions.
Results:
Overall 5292 complete responses were analysed. Of these, 920 were from trainees. The median reported monthly number of night shifts was 4 [IQR 3-6]. An irregular weekly night shift schedule was most common (51%). Almost all the respondents (98%) declared that their centres have no relevant institutional programmes to monitor stress or fatigue. Most respondents (90%) had received no training or information regarding performance improvement methods for night work. Most respondents were of the opinion that sleep deprivation affects their professional performance (71%) and that their fatigue during night work may increase the peri-operative risk for their patients (74%). Furthermore, 81% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that night work represents an additional risk per se for patient safety, and 77% stated that their night work affects the quality of their daily life significantly or extremely.
Conclusion:
Anaesthesiologists commonly perform perioperative night work without appropriate training, education or support on this specific condition. They perceive current practice as adversely affecting their professional performance and the safety of their patients. They also report significant effects on their own quality of life. Adequate training and education for night work may ally some of these concerns and programmes to monitor workers' stress and fatigue should be mandated to assess whether these concerns are justified.
Trial Registration:
Not applicable.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Peripheral Artery Disease V: Postoperative Nursing Management
01:24General Anesthesia: Overview
General anesthesia induces unconsciousness in the whole body, while the others target specific areas or sensations. It is administered to minimize adverse effects, maintain...
01:26Endoscopic Procedures IV: Sigmoidoscopy and Laproscopy
Sigmoidoscopy
Sigmoidoscopy is a diagnostic procedure that uses a flexible sigmoidoscope equipped with a light source and camera to examine the rectum and sigmoid colon. The procedure involves inserting the tube through the anus...
01:28Cardiomyopathy VII: Pre and Post Operative Nursing Management
01:22Aneurysm IV: Nursing Management
01:29Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia
Since epidural anesthetics can be infused through an epidural catheter, all types of drugs, including short-acting ones, can be administered. Chloroprocaine and lidocaine are examples of short and long-duration anesthetics, respectively. Bupivacaine...