Sleep pattern and decision-making in physicians from mobile emergency care service with 12-h work schedules.

INTRODUCTION: Shift work schedules are biological standpoint worse because compel the body to anticipate periods of wakefulness and sleep and thus eventually cause a disruption of biological rhythms.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the sleep pattern and decision-making in physicians working in mobile units of emergency attention undergoing day shift and rotating shift.

METHODS: The study included 26 physicians. The instruments utilized were a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Sleep Habits Questionnaire, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Chronotype Identification Questionnaire of Horne-Ostberg, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and hypothetical scenarios of decision-making created according to the Policy-Capturing Technique. For inclusion and exclusion criteria, the participants answered the Chalder Fatigue Scale, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Inventory of Stress Symptoms for adults of Lipp.

RESULTS: It was found good sleep quality for physicians on day shift schedule and bad sleep quality for physicians on rotating shift schedule. The IGT measure showed no impairment in decision-making, but the hypothetical scenarios revealed impairment decision-making during the shift for both schedules. Good sleep quality was related to a better performance in decision-making.

CONCLUSION: Good sleep quality seems to influence a better performance in decision-making.