Impact of the residency program model on sleep, alertness and professional performance

DANIEL PÉREZ CHADA; PILAR LÓPEZ GABEIRAS; GUIDO SIMONELLI; KUMIKO EIGUCHI; JORGE LEMUS; DANIEL E. VIGO; DANIEL P. CARDINALI

Boston

Congreso; 26 th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies; 2012

Introduction : Medical Residents are subjected to a job routine that causes disruption of the sleep/wake cycle. There are few studies about the working conditions and fatigue among medical residents in Argentina. The aim of this study is to identify the possible impact of the working structure of the residency system on sleep quality, sleepiness and functional outcomes in medical residents. Methods : A self- administered in person survey assessed demographic and job characteristics in a sample of clinical and surgical residents. Sleep quality was evaluated through the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), sleepiness with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and functional outcomes of sleep (FOSQ-10). Results are reported as frequency (%) or mean ± SE. Results : Data from 420 medical residents working in 7 large County Hospitals in the City of Buenos Aires were analyzed. Mean age (± SE) 29.0 ± 0, females 292 (69.9%). The sample was divided in two groups, group A were residents completing 1st and 2nd years of training, while group B were completing the 3rd and 4th years and according to the specialty in clinical or surgical. Conclusion: Medical residents demonstrated poor sleep quality and excessive day time sleepiness. Surgical residents are more fatigued than clinical residents and a similar difference was observed between groups A and B. These results have important public policy implications for postgraduate medical education.