Use of Pharmacologic Sleep Aids and Stimulants Among Emergency Medicine Staff Physicians in a Canadian Tertiary Care Setting: A Web-Based Survey

Abstract

Emergency medicine by its nature requires shift work that follows an erratic and unpredictable pattern. Faced with thischallenge, we hypothesize that many emergency physicians have taken steps to minimize their personal sleep deprivation through the use of pharmacologic sleep aids. The extent and nature of pharmacologic sleep aid use in this population is not well studied. We seekto describe the use of pharmacologic sleep aids among practicing emergency physicians in a Canadian tertiary care setting. A cross-sectional descriptive Web-based survey was sent by e-mail to all practicing staff emergency physicians within the Calgary zone of Alberta Health Services. Descriptive statistics were used to assess frequencies and explore associations between selected variables. Of the 198 eligible emergency physicians, 144 (73%) completed the survey. Ninety-six emergency physicians (67%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 59% to 74%) had used a pharmacologic sleep aid at some time in their career, and 81 (56%; 95% CI 48% to 64%) were currently using one with any frequency. The most frequent sleep aids being used by physician respondents were nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics (38%), alcohol (17%), and melatonin (15%). Sixty-five respondents (45%; 95% CI 37% to 53%) required a prescription for their pharmacologic sleep aid and 38 (58%; 95% CI 46% to 70%) of those had obtained a prescription from an emergency physician colleague. None of the physicians believed that their use of pharmacologic sleep aids adversely affected their ability to provide quality patient care. Pharmacologic sleep aid use among Canadian emergency physicians may be more common than previously assumed. This could have implications for physician well-being and performance.