Analyzing incoming page timestamps to estimate trainee sleep patterns
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Abstract
Purpose
Sleep deprivation is highly prevalent among surgical trainees and associated with decreased clinical performance. The goal of this study was to demonstrate a method of analyzing incoming page timestamps to estimate the sleep patterns of trainees during a home-call shift.
Methods
This was a retrospective study of all incoming pages to an Ophthalmology Service at a single tertiary care hospital from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019. The time and date of each incoming communication was recorded. The Kaplan-Meier estimator was used to determine the cumulative probability of receiving a page over the course of an at-home call shift.
Results
The mean number (± standard deviation) of incoming communications received during an overnight home-call shift (5 p.m.-8 a.m.) was 3.5 ± 2.5 (range, 0-15). The median time to first page was 1.4 hours (IQR, 0.4–4.0 hours). There was a significant difference between the number of pages received on weekdays compared to weekends (4.0 ± 2.5 vs 2.3 ± 2.1; P < 0.001). The cumulative probability of receiving a page during a shift was 91.5% (95% CI, 88.1%-95.6%). The probability of a 9-, 8-, 7-, or 6-hour interval without receiving an incoming page was 63.7%, 71.7%, 80.8%, and 87.6%, respectively.
Discussion
Analyzing timestamps may serve as a valuable tool for training programs to design home-call schedules that optimize the sleep patterns of trainees and ensure that fatigue does not negatively impact the quality of education and patient care.
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