The effect on sleep of being on-call: an experimental field study.

The aim of this study was to: (i) gain more insight into the relationship between being on-call and sleep and (ii) investigate the role of stress in this relationship. Data were collected by means of an experimental field study with a within-subject design (two conditions, random order). Ninety-six students participated during two consecutive nights: a reference night and a simulated on-call night without an actual call. Participants were told they could be called at any time during the on-call night. In the case of a call, participants had to perform online tasks for approximately 30 min. Self-reported sleep quality and the extent to which participants experienced stress during the on-call period were assessed by means of short questionnaires. Actigraphy was used to obtain objective sleep measures. Results for actigraphy data revealed no significant within-person differences between conditions. However, participants reported longer sleep onset latencies, more awakenings and more wake after sleep onset during the on-call night than during the reference night. They also reported more sleep problems and a lower overall sleep quality, and felt less recuperated after the on-call night. Perceived stress moderated the relationship between being on-call, on one hand, and the number of awakenings, wake after sleep onset, sleep problems and overall sleep quality, on the other hand. Results show that, even in the absence of an actual call, sleep during on-call nights is of lower quality and has less restorative value - especially when being on-call is experienced as stressful.

The Relationship of On-Call Work with Fatigue, Work-Home Interference, and Perceived Performance Difficulties.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationship between on-call duty exposure (active and total on-call hours a month, number of calls per duty) and employees' experiences of being on-call (stress due to unpredictability, ability to relax during inactive on-call periods, restrictions during on-call duties, on-call work demands, and satisfaction with compensation for on-call duties) on the one hand and fatigue, strain-based and time-based work-home interference (WHI), and perceived on-call performance difficulties (PPD) on the other hand. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey data were collected among a large heterogeneous sample of Dutch employees (N = 5437). The final sample consisted of 157 on-call workers (23-69 years, 71% males). Data were analyzed by means of hierarchical regression analyses (controlling for age and job characteristics). RESULTS: Differences in on-call work exposure were not systematically related to fatigue, WHI, and PPD (all p's >0.50). The experience of being on-call explained a medium proportion of the variation in fatigue and strain-based WHI and a medium to large proportion of the variation in time-based WHI and PPD over and above the control variables. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that it is employees' experience of being on-call, especially the experience of stress due to the unpredictability, rather than the amount of exposure, that is related to fatigue, WHI, and perceived on-call performance difficulties.