Abstract
Objectives: To determine the shift lengths currently worked by emergency medicine (EM) residents and their shift length preferences, and to determine factors associated with EM residents' subjective tolerance of shiftwork. Methods: A survey was sent to EM-2 through EM-4 allopathic EM residents in May 1996. This questionnaire assessed the residents' shift length worked, shift length preferences, night shift schedules, and self-reported ability to overcome drowsiness, sleep flexibility, and morningness-eveningness tendencies. When providing shift length preferences, the residents were asked to assume a constant total number of hours scheduled per month. Results: Seventy-eight programs participated, and 62% of 1,554 eligible residents returned usable surveys. Current shift lengths worked were 8 hours (12%), 10 hours (13%), 12 hours (37%), combinations of 8-hour, 10-hour, or 12-hour (34%) shifts, and other combinations (4%). Seventy-three percent of the respondents indicated that they preferred to work 8-hour or 10-hour shifts, and only 21% preferred a 12-hour shift. Shiftwork tolerance was recorded as: not well at all (2%), not very well (14%), fairly well (70%), and very well (14%). The EM residents' eveningness preference, ability to overcome drowsiness, sleep flexibility, younger age, and having no children at home were all associated with greater shiftwork tolerance. Conclusions: Emergency medicine residents generally tolerate shiftwork well and prefer 8-hour or 10- hour shift lengths compared with 12-hour shift lengths. Emergency medicine residencies with 12-hour shifts should consider changing residents' shifts to shorter shifts.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 670-673 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Academic Emergency Medicine |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| State | Published - Jun 2000 |
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Keywords
- Circadian rhythms
- Morningness-eveningness
- Postgraduate medical education
- Residents
- Shiftwork
- Work schedule tolerance
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Emergency Medicine
Cite this
Emergency medicine residents' shiftwork tolerance and preference. / Steele, Mark T.; Ma, Oscar; Watson, William A.; Thomas, Harold (Hal).
In: Academic Emergency Medicine, Vol. 7, No. 6, 06.2000, p. 670-673.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Emergency medicine residents' shiftwork tolerance and preference
AU - Steele, Mark T.
AU - Ma, Oscar
AU - Watson, William A.
AU - Thomas, Harold (Hal)
PY - 2000/6
Y1 - 2000/6
N2 - Objectives: To determine the shift lengths currently worked by emergency medicine (EM) residents and their shift length preferences, and to determine factors associated with EM residents' subjective tolerance of shiftwork. Methods: A survey was sent to EM-2 through EM-4 allopathic EM residents in May 1996. This questionnaire assessed the residents' shift length worked, shift length preferences, night shift schedules, and self-reported ability to overcome drowsiness, sleep flexibility, and morningness-eveningness tendencies. When providing shift length preferences, the residents were asked to assume a constant total number of hours scheduled per month. Results: Seventy-eight programs participated, and 62% of 1,554 eligible residents returned usable surveys. Current shift lengths worked were 8 hours (12%), 10 hours (13%), 12 hours (37%), combinations of 8-hour, 10-hour, or 12-hour (34%) shifts, and other combinations (4%). Seventy-three percent of the respondents indicated that they preferred to work 8-hour or 10-hour shifts, and only 21% preferred a 12-hour shift. Shiftwork tolerance was recorded as: not well at all (2%), not very well (14%), fairly well (70%), and very well (14%). The EM residents' eveningness preference, ability to overcome drowsiness, sleep flexibility, younger age, and having no children at home were all associated with greater shiftwork tolerance. Conclusions: Emergency medicine residents generally tolerate shiftwork well and prefer 8-hour or 10- hour shift lengths compared with 12-hour shift lengths. Emergency medicine residencies with 12-hour shifts should consider changing residents' shifts to shorter shifts.
AB - Objectives: To determine the shift lengths currently worked by emergency medicine (EM) residents and their shift length preferences, and to determine factors associated with EM residents' subjective tolerance of shiftwork. Methods: A survey was sent to EM-2 through EM-4 allopathic EM residents in May 1996. This questionnaire assessed the residents' shift length worked, shift length preferences, night shift schedules, and self-reported ability to overcome drowsiness, sleep flexibility, and morningness-eveningness tendencies. When providing shift length preferences, the residents were asked to assume a constant total number of hours scheduled per month. Results: Seventy-eight programs participated, and 62% of 1,554 eligible residents returned usable surveys. Current shift lengths worked were 8 hours (12%), 10 hours (13%), 12 hours (37%), combinations of 8-hour, 10-hour, or 12-hour (34%) shifts, and other combinations (4%). Seventy-three percent of the respondents indicated that they preferred to work 8-hour or 10-hour shifts, and only 21% preferred a 12-hour shift. Shiftwork tolerance was recorded as: not well at all (2%), not very well (14%), fairly well (70%), and very well (14%). The EM residents' eveningness preference, ability to overcome drowsiness, sleep flexibility, younger age, and having no children at home were all associated with greater shiftwork tolerance. Conclusions: Emergency medicine residents generally tolerate shiftwork well and prefer 8-hour or 10- hour shift lengths compared with 12-hour shift lengths. Emergency medicine residencies with 12-hour shifts should consider changing residents' shifts to shorter shifts.
KW - Circadian rhythms
KW - Morningness-eveningness
KW - Postgraduate medical education
KW - Residents
KW - Shiftwork
KW - Work schedule tolerance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0034094420&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0034094420&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 10905646
AN - SCOPUS:0034094420
VL - 7
SP - 670
EP - 673
JO - Academic Emergency Medicine
JF - Academic Emergency Medicine
SN - 1069-6563
IS - 6
ER -