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Updated: Jun 26, 2025

Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
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Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments

Published on: August 8, 2019

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A prospective observational study of sleep patterns and work-related communications during home call for a pediatric

Steven L Raymond1, Edward Tagge2

  • 1Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.

Surgery Open Science
|May 15, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric surgery fellows experience significantly less sleep on call nights due to work communications, impacting their rest. This study highlights the need for interventions to improve sleep for these essential medical professionals.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Education
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Surgical Training

Background:

  • Pediatric surgery fellows are crucial for academic children's hospitals, providing essential overnight clinical coverage.
  • Limited objective data exists on the sleep patterns and communication burdens of fellows during overnight home call.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To objectively assess the sleep patterns and work-related communications of a pediatric surgery fellow during overnight home call.
  • To identify the impact of call duties on fellow sleep duration and quality.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective observational study conducted over 60 call nights and 60 non-call nights.
  • Involved a senior pediatric surgery fellow at an academic children's hospital.
  • Data collected from September 2022 to February 2023.

Main Results:

  • Fellows averaged 5.8 hours of sleep, with significantly less sleep on call nights (5.4 hours) versus non-call nights (6.3 hours).
  • An average of four work-related communications occurred per 12-hour night shift, primarily concerning new consults.
  • Approximately half of these communications interrupted sleep, with an average of 23.8 minutes of sleep disturbance per shift.

Conclusions:

  • Overall sleep duration for pediatric surgery fellows falls below recommended levels.
  • Overnight call duties significantly disrupt sleep patterns and are compounded by work-related communications.
  • Further research and interventions are necessary to address sleep disturbances and improve fellow well-being.
Abstract

Keywords:
CoverageFellowshipHeart rateHours of sleepNight callOn-callPagingSleep deprivationSleep durationSurgical educationSurgical training

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