Sleep quality assessment in emergency health professionals

Abstract

Objective: To assess emergency service professionals’ sleep quality and its association with the level of fatigue and quality of life. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional and correlational study, carried out in the units of the Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU) and in the Emergency Care Unit (ECU), in 2021, with 108 participants. To assess sleep quality, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Brazilian version (PSQI-BR), was used; to assess fatigue, the Chalder Fatigue Scale was used, together with the Need for Recovery Scale (NFR); and to assess quality of life, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-bref) was used, and the instruments used were adapted to Portuguese in previous studies. Association tests were applied for statistical analysis, using Pearson’s chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test or Kruskal Wallis and Spearman’s correlation. P-values <0.05 were considered significant. Results: It was identified that 72.2% of participants had poor sleep quality and 75.9% were fatigued. A significant association was observed between sleep quality and fatigue, the need for recovery and quality of life. Conclusion: It was identified that health professionals working in emergency services have poor sleep quality and life, and high levels of fatigue and need for recovery, which can directly impact their personal and professional activities.