Sleep Quality and Fatigue among Medical Professionals

Description

Page: 37-40

Neha Singh and Seema Rani Sarraf (Amity Institute of Behavioural and Allied Sciences, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow)

Sleep is an essential biological process crucial for maintaining optimal health and functioning. The objective of the present study was to study the effects of sleep quality and fatigue among medical professionals. Seventy respondents aged 22 to 65 years old (35 doctors & 35 nurses) from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh were purposively selected. Information schedule, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (Buysse, 1989) and Fatigue Assessment Scale (Michielsen, De Vries, & Van Heck, 2003) were administered. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA were used to fulfill the objectives of the present study. The findings suggest that while doctors and nurses have similar experiences regarding sleep latency, sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction, there are notable differences in subjective sleep quality, sleep duration, use of sleep medication, total sleep-related issues, and fatigue levels between the two groups. Nurses tend to have better subjective sleep quality and longer sleep duration, but they also experience more sleep-related issues and higher levels of fatigue compared to doctors. On the fatigue assessment scale, nurses experience more fatigue symptoms than doctors. These results highlight the importance of addressing sleep-related issues and fatigue management strategies tailored to the specific needs of healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, to optimize their well-being and performance.