ABSTRACT
Introduction: Prolonged exposure to stressful environments is associated with adverse psychological outcomes, including sleep disturbance and burnout. Burnout rates have increased substantially during the unprecedented challenges faced by healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since burnout has been associated with significant health risk and adverse organizational outcomes, it is important to identify factors that inform preventive or therapeutic approaches to mitigate adverse outcomes in HCWs. Methods: Participants were HCWs (physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, technicians etc.) from 4 emergency departments in New York City who completed a cross-sectional electronic survey (completed at study enrollment between November 2020-October 2021). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) assessed global sleep quality. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) assessed 3 burnout dimensions: emotional exhaustion (EE;feelings of being emotionally overextended and exhausted by one's work);Feelings of depersonalization (DP;unfeeling and impersonal response towards patients);and reduced personal accomplishment (PA;feelings of competence and successful achievement in one's work). Descriptive statistics were calculated and separate binary logistic regressions were used to predict poor global sleep quality (PSQI >5) from individual MBI subscales (dimensions of burnout), while controlling for age, race, ethnicity, and gender. Results: Ninety-one participants, studied to date, were included in the analysis (51% non-Hispanic/Latino White, 63% female, mean age: 40 [SD: 9.6] y). Poor global sleep quality was reported by 68%. High EE (score >9), DP (score >6) and reduced PA (score <9) were reported by 44%, 27%, and 18% of participants, respectively. Poor global sleep quality was significantly associated with presence of elevated EE (OR: 3.04, 95% CI: 1.07-8.63, p=0.037), but not with elevated DP (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 0.44-4.10, p=0.603) or reduced PA (OR: 3.29, 95% CI: 0.65-16.44, p=0.146). Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, poor sleep quality was reported by the majority of participants and associated with increased burnout in HCWs. Poor global sleep appears to have the most influence on the burnout dimension EE, thus suggesting new evidence about associations between sleep and emotional regulation in HCW during the pandemic. Future trials should test whether existing (or novel) interventions can improve sleep and thereby support HCWs in high stress periods.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Emergency Department (ED) healthcare workers (HCWs) may be at elevated risk for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD), due in part to sleep and/or circadian disturbances. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship of sleep factors with blood pressure, a primary marker of CVD risk, in ED HCWs. Methods: Participants were HCWs (physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, technicians, etc.) from 4 EDs in New York City who completed study procedures between November 2020-October 2021. Participants completed a 2-week data burst, which included sleep/activity (Fitbit Inspire) and home blood pressure monitoring (Omron 5 Series BP7250;preceding and following their main daily sleep episode). Linear regression models, adjusted for age, gender, and race/ethnicity, were conducted predicting blood pressure from sleep factors. Results: The sample included n=74 ED HCWs (mean [SD] age=38.4 [8.7] years). Most were female (62.2%) and non-Hispanic/ Latino White (55.6%). Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were 116.1 (12.5) mmHg and 75.1 (7.6) mmHg, respectively. Actigraphy-derived sleep factor means for the data burst period were: a) Total sleep time (TST): 6.8 (1.0) hours;b) Sleep efficiency (SE): 94.5 (2.2)%;c) Percentage of main sleep episodes throughout the burst with TST <6 hours: 25.9 (20.8)%;d) Sleep start time: 24:06 (01:24);and e) Within-subject inter-daily bedtime variability (i.e., SD of sleep start times): 2.4 (1.8) hours. Higher TST was associated with lower SBP (B [SE] =-0.50 [0.30] mmHg/10 min, p=.04) and DBP (B [SE] =-0.50 [0.20] mmHg/10 min, p=.01). Greater SE was associated with lower SBP (B [SE] =-1.23 [0.55], mmHg/%, p=.03) and DBP (B [SE] =-1.05 [0.39], mmHg/%, p=.01). A higher proportion of nights with TST <6 hours was associated with higher DBP (B [SE] =1.4 [0.40], mmHg/10%, p<0.01) but not SBP. Sleep start time and bedtime variability were not associated with BP. Conclusion: These findings provide support for the relationship between sleep and blood pressure. Of note, data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may impact observed relationships. Because this is a cross-sectional analysis, the causal direction of the association may be (at least partially) reversed. Further research should examine psychological and work-related factors in ED HCWs that may modify these relationships, e.g., stress/anxiety, burnout, and job strain, and include assessments of the circadian system.