The effect of sleep disruption on performance of anaesthetists--a pilot study.
Fatigue has been implicated in the occurrence of critical incidents. Using a driving simulator to assess vigilance, we investigated the effect of sleep disruption on the ability of anaesthetists to maintain vigilance after a night on-call. Following an undisturbed night of sleep, subjects demonstrated a significant improvement in their vigilance scores. Subjects failed to demonstrate this following a disturbed night. The timing of disturbance had a bearing on performance. Subjects' performance was worse if their sleep had been disturbed in the first third of the night. The effect of sleep disruption on vigilance has implications for patient safety during anaesthesia.
Murray
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Cleveland School of Anaesthesia, James Cook University Hospital, Marton Road, Middlesbrough TS4 3BW, UK. davidmurray@stees.nhs.uk
Dodds
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D000758:Anesthesia / Q000592:standards*; D001288:Attention; D001334:Automobile Driving; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004739:England; D005221:Fatigue / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D016272:Occupational Health; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000523:psychology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric