Investigating Factors Influencing Fatigue and Medical Imaging Technologist Performance on Night Shift: An Initiative to Improve Healthcare Delivery

Abstract

Introduction: It is widely recognised that night shifts can cause fatigue, negatively impact cognitive performance and increase the risk of accidents. This quality improvement project aimed to better understand factors impacting on fatigue levels of medical imaging technologists who perform night shifts at metropolitan hospitals in Australia. Methods: All medical imaging technologists (i.e., radiographers and sonographers) employed at two Australian metropolitan hospitals who had performed night shifts within the last year were invited to complete a custom-made electronic survey. Quantitative survey responses were examined using a combination of descriptive and comparative statistics. An applied thematic analysis was used to examine qualitative findings from open-ended questions. Results: Medical imaging technologists perceive roster patterns with more consecutive night shifts and more rostered days off following night shifts to be less fatiguing and more sustainable. Fatiguing factors, including being awake at night and longer shift lengths, were perceived as significantly more fatiguing during the first 3 days of night shifts. The self-reported time taken to return to a normal sleep routine following night shifts was a mean of 3.2 days. Workload was rated as the factor that caused the highest levels of fatigue throughout a night shift roster. The majority of participants expressed that organisation-level changes are needed to reduce fatigue levels. Conclusion: Organisation level strategies to: (1) reduce workloads, and (2) enable rosters with more consecutive night shifts are needed to help medical imaging technologists effectively manage fatigue levels. The small sample size may limit the generalisability of findings.