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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Psychomotor Vigilance Testing on Neonatal Transport: A Western Australian Experience
Alexander Wilson1, Kylie McDonald1, Matthew N Cooper2
1Child and Adolescent Health Service, Perth Children's Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia; Newborn Emergency Transport Service Western Australia, Perth Children's Hospital, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.
Objective:
This study aimed to assess whether undertaking retrieval was associated with fatigue independent of sleep and circadian disruption. It also aimed to assess the feasibility of routinely measuring the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) on neonatal transport. Fatigue is associated with impaired clinician performance and safety. The association between shift work, sleep deprivation, and circadian disruption is well established. No studies have specifically assessed the independent effect of the retrieval environment on fatigue.
Methods:
Medical and nursing staff of the neonatal retrieval team were prospectively recruited over a 12-month period. Simple reaction times (RTs) were recorded at the start and end of a day shift using a validated 3-minute PVT.
Results:
The end-of-shift RT increased (not significant) by 6.38 milliseconds (95% confidence interval [CI], -2.17 to 14.92 milliseconds; P = .149) when retrieval was undertaken. A 1-millisecond increase in RT increased the odds of being in a subjective sleepy category by 0.57% (95% CI, 0.0036-0.0078; P < .001). Consuming caffeine during the shift increased the mean RT by 16.26 milliseconds (95% CI, 4.43-28.1 milliseconds; P < .01).
Conclusion:
The RT of participants exposed to the retrieval environment was not significantly increased. Further studies are needed to consolidate these results as well as to further assess longer-range air medical retrievals.
