Prevalence of poor sleep quality among physicians and nurses in a tertiary health care center.

Objectives: Sleep quality among tertiary healthcare professionals in KSA has not been well studied. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to assess sleep quality among physicians and nurses in a tertiary care center in Jeddah City and to identify the associated factors. Methods: In this quantitative, analytical, cross-sectional study, an online, self-administered questionnaire was distributed to all physicians and nurses working at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH). A total of 395 healthcare professionals participated in this study. The questionnaire included the participants' demographic characteristics and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) values. Results: The mean age and body mass index of the participating healthcare professionals were 37.74 ± 10.35 years and 26.32 ± 4.97 kg/m2, respectively. Most participants were women (70.4%) and expatriates (55.4%). The prevalence of poor sleep quality was high: 70.4% of the participants had a PSQI score >5. Several factors, such as female sex (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.03; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.11-3.74), shift work (AOR = 1.87; 95% CI = 1.01-3.45), physical inactivity (AOR = 2.43; 95% CI = 1.01-5.85), and current smoking (AOR = 4.64; 95% CI = 1.68-12.80), were associated with poor sleep quality among healthcare professionals. Conclusions: Our findings are consistent with those from previous studies indicating high prevalence of poor sleep quality among healthcare professionals. Furthermore, female sex, shift work, smoking, and physical inactivity were identified as risk factors for poor sleep quality.

Perception of surgical treatments for obstructive sleep apnea among sleep medicine physicians: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder associated with significant morbidities and mortality if untreated. Continuous positive airway pressure is the gold standard treatment for OSA, but poor adherence significantly limits its use. However, there is evidence to support the effectiveness of surgical treatments for OSA. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the experience of sleep physicians in Saudi Arabia in treating OSA using surgical options. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study featured an electronic survey that was sent to all sleep physicians across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between January 2018 and March 2018. The questionnaire contained questions on the demographics of the physicians and the types of surgical referral for patients with OSA. RESULTS: Twenty-six physicians completed the questionnaire. More than two-thirds of the physicians preferred to refer their patients to otolaryngologists (69.23%), while the remainder preferred to refer their patients to oral and maxillofacial surgeons (23.07%). More than half of the physicians indicated that maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) was the most effective surgical procedure (53.8%), followed by adenotonsillectomy (19.2%), then uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) (11.5%). Four physicians (15.4%) chose "none" as the best answer. More participants indicated that the benefits outweighed the risks for MMA (53.84%) than for UPPP (19.23%). CONCLUSION: Based on the opinions of sleep physicians in Saudi Arabia, MMA is the best surgical option for the treatment of moderate to severe OSA. Otolaryngologists are the preferred surgeons because they are more available than oral and maxillofacial surgeons physicians, who are scarce in Saudi Arabia.

Effect of on-call-related sleep deprivation on physicians' mood and alertness.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Physicians may experience periods of acute sleep deprivation while on-call, in addition to baseline chronic sleep deprivation which may affect physicians' performance and patients' safety. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of acute sleep deprivation due to working long on-call shifts on mood and alertness, both of which may impair physicians' performance. METHODS: Eighty-eight junior physicians working in one university hospital completed a questionnaire, before and after completion of a shift, that collected data regarding socio-demographic factors, patterns of work and sleep, Profile of Mood States (POMS), and Stanford Sleepiness Scale. Based on duration of sleep the physicians had during on-call in comparison to their usual average sleep, the participants were categorized into group 1 (those who slept many fewer hours), group 2 (those who slept fewer hours), or group 3 (those who slept the same number of hours). RESULTS: More than 87% of the participant slept 5 or fewer hours while working an on-call shift. Among all participants, the percentage of physicians who were alert post-on-call was significantly reduced compared to the percentage pre-on-call (P = 0.001). The post-on-call total POMS scores of groups 1 and 2 were significantly worse than their pre-on-call scores (P = 0.001 and 0.038, respectively), while there was no significant difference between the pre- and post-on-call POMS scores of group 3 (P = 0.165). CONCLUSION: Acute sleep loss due to working long on-call shifts significantly decreases daytime alertness and negatively affects the mood state of junior physicians.