title: The prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness among academic physicians and its impact on the quality of life and occupational performance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sleep disorders can affect health and occupational performance of physicians as well as outcomes in patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) among academic physicians at a tertiary academic medical center in an urban area in the northwest region of Turkey, and to establish a relationship between the self-perceived sleepiness and the quality of life using the EuroQol-5 dimensions (EQ-5D).
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire prepared by the researchers after scanning the literature on the subject was e-mailed to the academic physicians of a tertiary academic medical center in Istanbul. The ESS and the EQ-5D were also included in the survey. The e-mail database of the institution directory was used to compile a list of active academic physicians who practiced clinical medicine. Paired and independent t tests were used for the data analysis at a significance level of p < 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred and ninety six academic physicians were e-mailed and a total of 252 subjects replied resulting in a 63.6% response rate. There were 84 (33.3%) female and 168 (66.7%) male academic physicians participating in the study. One hundred and eight out of 252 (42.8%) academic physicians were taking night calls (p < 0.001). Ninety study subjects (35.7%) felt they had enough sleep and 84 (33.3%) reported napping daily (p < 0.001). In our sample, 28.6% (N = 72) of the physicians felt sleepy during the day (ESS score > 10) (p < 0.001). In the case of the EQ-5D index and visual analogue scale of the EQ-5D questionnaire (EQ-5D VAS), the status of sleepiness of academic physicians was associated with a poorer quality of life (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than a 1/4 of the academic physicians suffered from sleepiness. There was an association between the poor quality of life and daytime sleepiness. There was also a positive relationship between habitual napping and being sleepy during the day.
authors.affiliation: Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey (Faculty of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine). aclan.ozder@aol.com.
authors.forename: Aclan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozder
authors.affiliation: Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey (Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health).
authors.forename: Hasan Huseyin
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Eker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016272:Occupational Health; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: EQ-5D; academician physician; epworth; habitual napping; sleep disorders; sleepiness