The prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness among academic physicians and its impact on the quality of life and occupational performance

OBJECTIVES: Sleep disorders can affect health and occupational performance of physicians as well as outcomes in patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) among academic physicians at a tertiary academic medical center in an urban area in the northwest region of Turkey, and to establish a relationship between the self-perceived sleepiness and the quality of life using the EuroQol-5 dimensions (EQ-5D). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A questionnaire prepared by the researchers after scanning the literature on the subject was e-mailed to the academic physicians of a tertiary academic medical center in Istanbul. The ESS and the EQ-5D were also included in the survey. The e-mail database of the institution directory was used to compile a list of active academic physicians who practiced clinical medicine. Paired and independent t tests were used for the data analysis at a significance level of p 10) (p < 0.001). In the case of the EQ-5D index and visual analogue scale of the EQ-5D questionnaire (EQ-5D VAS), the status of sleepiness of academic physicians was associated with a poorer quality of life (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: More than a 1/4 of the academic physicians suffered from sleepiness. There was an association between the poor quality of life and daytime sleepiness. There was also a positive relationship between habitual napping and being sleepy during the day.