Abstract
Introduction: Sleep deprivation and burnout are common in employees who work in shifts, night shifts, overtime as well as those who work under stressful and unpredictable circumstances. The purpose of the study was to explore the quality of sleep, determine burnout level components and investigate the level of these components and their impact on the quality of sleep among employees in pre-hospital emergency medical services.Methods: A quantitative non-experimental research method was used. Data were collected using a standardized Pittsburgh sleep quality index questionnaire and a standardized Maslach burnout inventory questionnaire. The survey was completed by 204 healthcare professionals. Data were analyzed with univariate and bivariate statistics.Results: The average Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score was 4.97, s = 3.23. Poorer quality of sleep is exhibited by female respondents (57.4 %), respondents who are employed in more overloaded pre-hospital emergency service units (52.3 %) and those who work 24 hours or more (67.7 %). Overall, 17.6 % respondents exhibited high emotional exhaustion, 32.8 % exhibited high depersonalization and 9.3 % exhibited low personal accomplishment. A weak correlation was present between sleep quality and emotional exhaustion (r = 0.381, p < 0.01), depersonalization (r = 0.293, p < 0.01) and personal accomplishment (r = 0.368, p < 0.01).Discussion and conclusion: Healthcare professionals represent a vulnerable group that is subject to poor sleep quality and burnout syndrome, therefore, the need for empowering them in terms of proper sleep hygiene and burnout prevention is indicated.
Highlights
Sleep deprivation and burnout are common in employees who work in shifts, night shifts, overtime as well as those who work under stressful and unpredictable circumstances
The potential health impact of insufficient sleep duration was first reported in the 1960s, when a general population survey of over one million adults found that individuals who reported sleeping fewer than 7 hours per night had increased mortality rates compared to those sleeping 7 to 8 hours per night (Hammond, 1964)
Three research questions were presented: – What is the quality of sleep among employees in pre-hospital emergency medical services? – What is the level of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment among employees in pre-hospital emergency medical services?
Summary
The potential health impact of insufficient sleep duration was first reported in the 1960s, when a general population survey of over one million adults found that individuals who reported sleeping fewer than 7 hours per night had increased mortality rates compared to those sleeping 7 to 8 hours per night (Hammond, 1964). Healthcare professionals often experience heavy workload, strict organisational regulations, and insufficient time to cope with occupational challenges, a rapidly evolving knowledge base, and a lack of interpersonal support in everyday life (De Simone, Vargas, & Servillo, 2021) These challenges often lead to "emotional exhaustion," when a person feels overwhelmed and lacks the energy to accomplish a task. Paramedics who have been involved in the job for at least 3 years already show signs of loss of empathic ability and emotional burnout This effect is mostly due to the poor quality of sleep of paramedics due to their shift work rather than depression or previous traumatic experience (Guadagni, Burles, Ferrara, & Iaria, 2014; Guadagni, Cook, Hart, Burles, & Iaria, 2018)
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