• P Daniel Patterson, Brian P Suffoletto, Douglas F Kupas, Matthew D Weaver, and David Hostler.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pernnsylvania 15261, USA. pattersond@upmc.edu
• Prehosp Emerg Care. 2010 Apr 1;14(2):187-93.

BackgroundFatigue is common among medical professionals and has been linked to poor performance and medical error. Objective. To characterize sleep quality and its association with severe fatigue in emergency medical services (EMS) providers.MethodsWe studied a convenience sample of EMS providers who completed three surveys: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire (CFQ), and a demographic survey. We used established measures to examine survey psychometrics and performed t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and chi-square tests to identify differences in PSQI and CFQ scores.ResultsOne hundred nineteen surveys were completed. The eight-hour shift was most commonly reported (35.4%). A majority of subjects were overweight (41.9%) or obese (42.7%), and 59.6% had been diagnosed with one or more health conditions (e.g., diabetes). Results from psychometric tests were positive. The mean (+/- standard deviation) PSQI score was 9.2 (+/- 3.7). A CFQ score > or =4, indicating severe mental and physical fatigue, was present in 44.5% of the subjects. The mean PSQI score was higher among those reporting severe fatigue (11.3 +/- 3.2) than among those not reporting fatigue (7.5 +/- 3.0, p < 0.0001).ConclusionsThe results from this study suggest that the sleep quality and fatigue status of EMS workers are at unhealthy levels. The health and safety of the EMS worker and patient population should be considered in light of these results.

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