Night Shifts in Emergency Medicine
Night Shifts in Emergency Medicine
This is a secondary data analysis of data gathered from the 2008 Longitudinal Study of Emergency Physicians (LSEP). The survey included 12 questions on career practice setting, overall career satisfaction, and nightshift-specific career satisfaction. The Research Committee of the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) created the 2008 survey. This panel of experts had reviewed literature on night shifts before developing the questions. The Board of Directors of ABEM approved the survey (Appendix). Additional information was also analyzed from the 2008 LSEP Retired Physician Survey and 2008 Alternate Occupation Survey. The study was reviewed and deemed exempt by the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board.
The ABEM LSEP was initiated in 1994 to describe the development of EM through surveys around various topics thought to impact career satisfaction and longevity. EM residents are invited to participate by ABEM in a voluntary resident survey, the Longitudinal Study of Emergency Medicine Residents (LSEMR). Residents who opt to participate in that survey are automatically sent an invitation to participate in the LSEP after completion of residency. They are removed from the LSEP if they request this. Upon entry into the LSEP, they are asked to participate and complete the survey. Their completion denotes consent.
LSEP participants are asked to complete a lengthy survey every 5 years and an abbreviated topic-focused interim survey every year. This 2008 survey represents one of the interim surveys. The 1003 EPs were surveyed via United States Postal Service mail with three follow-up mailings to the nonresponders. These 1003 EPs had self-designated as "clinically active" on the 2007 interim survey. The surveys are returned with the individual's name on it. The data are deidentified and used in aggregate form for purposes such as this article. Eight hundred and nineteen individuals responded, for a response rate of 82%.
Data collection for this survey began mid-May 2008 and ended September 1, 2008. Participants were sent a cover letter about the survey, a copy of the survey, and a postage-paid return envelope. Survey responses were entered into an SAS data file on the ABEM regular server at ABEM headquarters in Lansing, MI by ABEM staff. Paper copies of this 2008 survey are stored in a secure location at ABEM headquarters.
Primary outcomes measures included self-reported status of night shift work and the effects on health and career, as reported by study participants.
All analyses were conducted using SAS software (version 9.2, SAS Institute Inc, Cary. NC). We computed descriptive information on overall career satisfaction, night shift work presence, quantity, and impact.
Materials and Methods
Study Design and Setting
This is a secondary data analysis of data gathered from the 2008 Longitudinal Study of Emergency Physicians (LSEP). The survey included 12 questions on career practice setting, overall career satisfaction, and nightshift-specific career satisfaction. The Research Committee of the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) created the 2008 survey. This panel of experts had reviewed literature on night shifts before developing the questions. The Board of Directors of ABEM approved the survey (Appendix). Additional information was also analyzed from the 2008 LSEP Retired Physician Survey and 2008 Alternate Occupation Survey. The study was reviewed and deemed exempt by the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board.
Selection of Study Participants
The ABEM LSEP was initiated in 1994 to describe the development of EM through surveys around various topics thought to impact career satisfaction and longevity. EM residents are invited to participate by ABEM in a voluntary resident survey, the Longitudinal Study of Emergency Medicine Residents (LSEMR). Residents who opt to participate in that survey are automatically sent an invitation to participate in the LSEP after completion of residency. They are removed from the LSEP if they request this. Upon entry into the LSEP, they are asked to participate and complete the survey. Their completion denotes consent.
Methods and Measurements
LSEP participants are asked to complete a lengthy survey every 5 years and an abbreviated topic-focused interim survey every year. This 2008 survey represents one of the interim surveys. The 1003 EPs were surveyed via United States Postal Service mail with three follow-up mailings to the nonresponders. These 1003 EPs had self-designated as "clinically active" on the 2007 interim survey. The surveys are returned with the individual's name on it. The data are deidentified and used in aggregate form for purposes such as this article. Eight hundred and nineteen individuals responded, for a response rate of 82%.
Data collection for this survey began mid-May 2008 and ended September 1, 2008. Participants were sent a cover letter about the survey, a copy of the survey, and a postage-paid return envelope. Survey responses were entered into an SAS data file on the ABEM regular server at ABEM headquarters in Lansing, MI by ABEM staff. Paper copies of this 2008 survey are stored in a secure location at ABEM headquarters.
Outcomes
Primary outcomes measures included self-reported status of night shift work and the effects on health and career, as reported by study participants.
Analysis
All analyses were conducted using SAS software (version 9.2, SAS Institute Inc, Cary. NC). We computed descriptive information on overall career satisfaction, night shift work presence, quantity, and impact.
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