Surgeon Social Jet Lag and Patient Risk of Major Adverse Events

Area of Science:

• Medical research
• Surgical outcomes
• Sleep science

Background:

• Sleep timing regularity is crucial for cognitive function.
• Its impact on surgeon well-being and patient safety is understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the link between surgeon sleep timing regularity and patient major adverse events.
• To explore the relationship between surgeon burnout and sleep patterns.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study across 14 surgical departments in France.
• Surgeon sleep monitored via actigraphy; sleep timing regularity assessed using midsleep time and social jet lag (SJL).
• Major adverse events (death, prolonged ICU stay, reoperation, severe complications) within 30 days post-surgery were recorded.

Main Results:

• Operations by surgeons with SJL of ≥2 hours showed increased risk of major adverse events (RR 1.36-1.45).
• Midsleep time variability ≥60 minutes was not associated with adverse outcomes.
• Surgeons experiencing burnout had significantly higher SJL and midsleep time variability.

Conclusions:

• Substantial social jet lag in surgeons is associated with increased patient risk of major adverse events.
• Interventions to promote regular sleep timing in surgeons may enhance patient safety and mitigate burnout.