Factors impacting military emergency medicine residents' sleep and barriers to seeking help: A sequential exploratory...

Emergency medicine (EM) resident physicians face unique challenges in adhering to the principles of sleep hygiene due to the nature of EM shift work. They are at higher risk for sleep disorders, sleep-related errors and accidents, and impaired performance due to constantly changing schedules. Military residents also perceive a stigma against seeking mental health care and taking sleeping medications. This mixed-methods study investigated sleep quality and barriers to seeking care among EM residents at a single center, three-year, Active-Duty military EM residency program. A survey was made available to all 36 EM residents assessing daytime sleepiness using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) with a target response rate of 66.7 %. The purpose of using the ESS was to identify at least 9 EM residents with excessive daytime sleepiness to participate in semi-structured interviews about their sleeping experiences. Excessive daytime sleepiness is defined as ≥11 on the ESS. These interviews were coded using a phenomenological approach to data analysis. Of the 36 EM residents in the program, 24 (66.7 %) completed the survey. Of these, 11 scored ≥11 on the ESS. Of these, nine EM residents participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic saturation was achieved, and four themes emerged from interviews: 1) challenges with sleep hygiene; 2) less satisfied with sleep since starting residency; 3) normalization of poor sleep; and 4) taking medication for sleep is stigmatized. Results revealed significant difficulties adhering to the principles of sleep hygiene due to inconsistent sleep-wake times. Participants identified difficulty avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and large meals before bed, and felt their sleep had worsened since starting residency. Though residents often discussed sleep difficulties with colleagues, these conversations normalized sleeping problems and reduced help-seeking behavior. Participants perceived a stigma against using prescription medication for sleep. This study highlights significant sleep disturbances experienced by EM residents in this study and an inability to adhere to the principles of sleep hygiene. Normalization of sleep disturbances in residency seems to impede residents from seeking professional help. Further research should focus on targeted interventions to improve resident sleep hygiene, promote help-seeking behavior, and reduce the stigma associated with prescription drug use, when necessary. Additional studies are needed to examine the generalizability of these results to other training programs.