A-11 Fatigue and Errors in Aeromedicine (FEAr) Pilot Study

Abstract

Abstract Objective The FEAr pilot study was conducted to evaluate the construct validity of an instrument that measures self-reported fatigue levels among air medics (the Flight Risk Assessment [FRA] measure). Data Selection The population of interest, flight medics, is highly specialized and relatively small. As a result, non-probability, convenience sampling was used (N = 27). The participants were recruited from one air medical company with bases located across ten western states. Medics took two measures, the FRA and the PVT, three times a day, for three days. Data Synthesis To establish construct validity, scores on the FRA were compared to scores on the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), which is a widely used and validated measure to detect fatigue in field settings. The results of the study indicate that a total of five questions on the FRA was significantly and moderately correlated with the PVT efficiency score (r = -.49, p = .01). The mean reaction time was also significantly correlated with the total FRA score (r = .59, p = .001). Notably, perceived fitness for duty was poorly correlated with fatigue levels as measured by the FRA (r < .01). Conclusions The results of this study contribute to a very limited body of research on fatigue among air medical providers. Specifically, the study contributes to the knowledge about the construct validity of the Flight Risk Assessment, which can be used to evaluate fatigue among air medics. Further analysis can assist in determining appropriate cutoff scores to inform time-out policies for medics.