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  • Feasibility of application-based psychomotor vigilance testing to assess fatigue in doctors working night shifts and correlation with smartwatch assessed shift intensity

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Methodology
Original research
Feasibility of application-based psychomotor vigilance testing to assess fatigue in doctors working night shifts and correlation with smartwatch assessed shift intensity
  1. Stefan Weetman1,
  2. Matthew Roche1,
  3. Todd Leckie1,
  4. Theophilus Samuels2,
  5. Luke Hodgson3
  1. 1 Anaesthetics and Intensive Care, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Worthing, UK
  2. 2 Anaesthetics and Intensive Care, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, Redhill, UK
  3. 3 Respiratory Medicine and Intensive Care, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Worthing, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Matthew Roche, Anaesthetics and Intensive Care, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Worthing, BN11 2DH, UK; matt.roche{at}doctors.org.uk

Abstract

Objectives To assess: (1) the feasibility of novel data collection methods (wearable technology and an application-based psychomotor vigilance test (PVT)), (2) the impact of night shift working on fatigue, both objective and perceived, for doctors working night shifts in acute hospital specialties and (3) the effects of shift intensity and naps obtained on participant fatigue.

Methods We adopted an innovative, multimodal approach to data collection allowing assessment of objective and perceived measures of fatigue, in addition to markers of shift intensity. This comprised 5 min PVT for objective quantification of fatigue (via the validated, smartphone-based NASA PVT+ application), wearable electronic devices (Fitbit Versa2) for assessment of shift intensity (step counts and active minutes) and questionnaires to elicit perceptions of fatigue and shift intensity.

Results Data was collected from 25 participants for a total of 145 night shifts. Objective fatigue (assessed by PVT performance) was significantly increased post night shift, with a PVT mean reaction time 257 ms pre shift versus 283 ms post shift (p<0.0001). However, differences in PVT pre and post shift were not affected by night shift intensity, nor breaks or naps taken on shift. Differences in psychomotor performance between doctors working in different specialties were also observed.

Conclusions The data collection methods used were found to be feasible with good participant engagement. Findings support existing evidence that night shift working in healthcare workers is associated with fatigue, with psychomotor impairment observed post shift. Lower shift intensity and napping did not appear to mitigate this effect.

  • Fatigue
  • Circadian Rhythm
  • Physicians
  • Shift Work Schedule

Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request.

https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2023-109311

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available upon reasonable request.

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    Footnotes

    • SW and MR contributed equally.

    • Contributors MR and LH conceived the study. SW, MR, TL and LH designed the study. SW and TL oversaw data collection. TS performed the data analysis. MR drafted the manuscript. SW, TL, TS and LH all made revisions. All authors read and approved of the final manuscript. MR is the guarantor.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.