[Fatigue and stress sensitivity of physicians after 16 hours on duty at the emergency department].
In addition to their 40-hour working week (Mon-Fri, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.) residents at the emergency department of the General Hospital of Vienna have to do approximately six 24-hour duties. The reasons for conducting the present field study were physicians' complaints about tiring night duties. 11 residents (4 women, 7 men; aged between 28 and 43 years, x = 33.5 +/- 4.9 years; working at the emergency department for 4-50 months, x = 31 +/- 20 months) were tested on an ordinary working day at 9 a.m. and midnight. Self-rating concerning sleep duration, perception of stress and workload on the days of the investigations were found to be representative of other prolonged duties. Subjects reported a usual nocturnal sleep duration of only 6-7 hours. Stress was regarded as moderate by most of the volunteers. Blood pressure and pulse rates did not show diurnal changes. Generally, residents felt significantly (p < 0.01) less awake at night than in the morning, but reported only slight vegetative and somatic stress reactions or annoyances as assessed by the Fahrenberg self-rating scale. Interindividual differences were found; residents who had been working at the emergency department for a longer period experienced a more pronounced impairment. Further studies are required in order to objectify a nocturnal decrease in vigilance (by means of computer-assisted EEG) and to evaluate potential performance deficits (by means of psychometric tests).
Frey
R
R
Universitätsklinik für Psychiatrie, Universität Wien, Osterreich. Richard.Frey@akh-wien.ac.at
Klösch
G
G
Reinfried
L
L
Decker
K
K
Saletu
B
B
Laggner
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AN
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001317:Austria; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005221:Fatigue / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance / Q000523:psychology*