Braksick, Sherri A.

This Viewpoint argues, in keeping with current stroke management guidelines, that patients with mild, nondisabling strokes should not receive thrombolysis, even when presenting within the time window for treatment.

Abstract Introduction Nightshifts represent a substantial proportion of time dedicated to working in the inpatient setting, particularly among ICU staff. Our institution implemented a 24/7 in-person ICU attending model more than a decade ago. With practice growth and more than 200 ICU beds across disciplines, there are now at least 8 ICU attendings in-hospital all night. Yet, little is known about attending staff perceptions and desires about night work, so we began an exploratory analysis. Methods An online survey of 13 multiple-choice, slider scale, and open-ended questions were sent via email to critical care staff physicians of different disciplines within our institution. Results 69 out of 150 physicians completed the survey (46% response rate). Half were between 35 and 45 years old; 29% were age 45 to 55 years old. About half self-identified as a morningness chronotype. Most (84%) work 3- or 4-night shifts consecutively. Most viewed night shift work as having a negative influence on their quality of life (48% “somewhat negative” and 22% “very negative”) and on their health (51% “somewhat negative” and 24% “very negative”). Most would choose to work less nightshifts (37%) or none (29%). During nightshift assignments, about half (53%) self-report an average of 5 hours of sleep per 24-hour period; 18% self-report ≤ 4hours. Only 6% reported 7 or 8 hours of sleep. Mitigating strategies utilized during series of night shifts include use of caffeine (78%), naps (66%) and use of sleeping aids (21%). Outside of the nightshift series, more than half (56%) reported no sleep difficulties while 21% reported onset or maintenance insomnia. Conclusion At our large tertiary hospital employing an in-house nightshift model across multiple ICUs, most staff ICU physicians have a negative perception of night shift work on their quality of life and health. The majority of respondents would choose to work less or no night shifts. How self-reports of limited sleep (average 5 hours) per 24-hour period compare to objectively measured sleep duration in this population remains to be determined in the next phase of this study. Support (if any)