Physiologic stress among surgeons who take in-house call

Abstract

IntroductionBurnout and depression is higher in trauma surgeons as compared to surgeons in other specialties. Clinical practice for many acute care surgeons (ACS) includes in-house call (IHC). The goal of this study was to quantitate physiologic stress among ACS who take IHC. MethodsACS with IHC responsibilities from two Level I trauma centers were studied. Participants wore a fitness and heart rate variability (HRV) device over 3 months. HRV was categorized as normal if 85% of baseline, moderate stress when HRV <85% but >50%, and high stress when HRV< 50%. Results1421 nights were recorded among 17 surgeons (35.3% female; mean age 45.5 years). Excluding IHC, mean HRV = 32.23, and 95.63% of days were consistent with moderate or high stress. Post-call day 2 had significantly highest percentage of high stress (65.82%, p = 0.0495). High and moderate stress levels returned to baseline on post-call day 3. ConclusionsHigh and moderate stress beyond IHC is common among ACS. Future study is needed to determine consequences of persistent stress and identify factors which impact recovery after IHC.