Background: The burden and impact of sleep deprivation in cardiology has received limited study.
Methods: A multidisciplinary, online survey on sleep health patterns and sleep deprivation involving 44 closed-ended questions was distributed via email list to cardiovascular workers.
Results: The survey was circulated among 6683 individuals, of whom 481 (7.2%) completed the survey; 80% of the respondents were men and 70% were interventional cardiologists. Nearly all (91%) had call responsibilities, with 43% doing ≥7 call-nights per month. Sleep disorders were reported in 25%, with 25% using sleep-inducing medications (8.4% at least once per week). The main factors diminishing the quality and/or quantity of sleep were related to work (66%), family and/or personal activities (56%), and staying up late at night writing or studying (48%). Sleep deprivation was associated with difficulty concentrating (58%), lack of motivation (56%), and irritability (68%). Work performance was felt to be hindered by 46% of participants and 8.6% reported an adverse event such as a complication and/ or negative patient outcome likely related to sleep deprivation. Many (56.5%) felt burnout and 85% opined that policies should exist allowing sleep-deprived individuals to go home early post call.
Conclusions: Our survey provides insights into sleep health patterns among cardiovascular workers and potential factors contributing to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation may impact performance, with 8.6% of respondents describing sleep-deprivation related adverse events. Further study is required to both identify measures to attenuate the burden and better understand the impact of sleep deprivation on both health-care personnel and patient outcomes.
Keywords: cognitive function; fatigue; practice management.