O-233 Sleep apnea syndrome and night work in health care personnel

• Published in: Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England) Vol. 80; no. Suppl 1; p. A69
• Main Authors: Amira, Belkahla, Ghada, Bahri, Dorra, Brahim, Imen, Youssef, Mariem, Mersni, Hanene, Ben Said, Najla, Mechergui, Nizar, Ladhari
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 14.03.2023; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Abstracts; Apnea; Gynecology; Health care; Health problems; Medical personnel; Night shifts; Nighttime; Physical examinations; Quality assessment; Sex ratio; Sleep apnea; Sleep disorders
• ISSN: 1351-0711; 1470-7926
• DOI: 10.1136/OEM-2023-EPICOH.169

IntroductionNight work has become inevitable in industrialized societies. This work pattern generates or is likely to aggravate various health problems.ObjectiveTo assess the quality of sleep in night health care workers (HCW) and to detect a possible sleep apnea syndrome (SAS).MethodsThis is a descriptive cross-sectional study of night HCW in the surgical and acute medicine departments of Charles Nicolle University Hospital. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were collected on a pre-established form. The risk of SAS was assessed according to the Berlin questionnaire.ResultsA total of 57 HCWs participated in the study. The mean age was 38.9 ± 10.9 years with a sex ratio of 0.96. The HCW were affiliated to surgical departments in 65% of the cases, mainly to the gynecology department in 36.9%. Nurses were the most represented professional category in 36.8% of cases with an average professional seniority of 11.46 ± 9.88 years. Night work was permanent in 68.4% of cases, with an average of 2.6 shifts per week and 8.4 ± 8.18 years of service. The risk of SAS was considered high in 40.4% of cases. A slight female predominance was noted, with a higher mean age and seniority on the night shift compared with the low-risk SAS group (41.8 vs 36.9 years, 9.2 vs 7.8 years). A total of 55.6% of the hypertensive HCWs were at high risk of SAS.ConclusionIn order to prevent health problems related to night work, preventive medical check-ups in the form of medical examinations of aptitude for night work should be recommended.