The impact of work time control on physicians' sleep and well-beingShow others and affiliations
2015 (English)In: Applied Ergonomics, ISSN 0003-6870, E-ISSN 1872-9126, Vol. 47, p. 109-116Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Physicians' work schedules are an important determinant of their own wellbeing and that of their patients. This study considers whether allowing physicians control over their work hours ameliorates the effects of demanding work schedules. A questionnaire was completed by hospital physicians regarding their work hours (exposure to long shifts, short inter-shift intervals, weekend duties, night duties, unpaid overtime; and work time control), sleep (quantity and disturbance) and wellbeing (burnout, stress and fatigue). Work time control moderated the negative impact that frequent night working had upon sleep quantity and sleep disturbance. For participants who never worked long shifts, work time control was associated with fewer short sleeps, but this was not the case for those who did work long shifts. Optimizing the balance between schedule flexibility and patient needs could enhance physicians' sleep when working the night shift, thereby reducing their levels of fatigue and enhancing patient care.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2015. Vol. 47, p. 109-116
Keywords [en]
Shift work, Work time control, Physicians
National Category
Occupational Health and Environmental Health Applied Psychology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-62667DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2014.09.001ISI: 000347663600014PubMedID: 25479980Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-84919597289OAI: oai:DiVA.org:oru-62667DiVA, id: diva2:1158074
Funder
AFA InsuranceVINNOVAForte, Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, 2009-1758The Swedish Medical Association2017-11-172017-11-172018-01-13Bibliographically approved