Sleep Deprivation, Burnout, and Acute Care Surgery

Abstract

Purpose of review: To define what sleep deprivation is, how it relates to the growing problem of burnout within surgeons, and what can be done to mitigate its effects.

Recent findings: There is a growing awareness that sleep deprivation, in both its acute and chronic manifestations, plays an immense role in burnout. The physical and mental manifestations of sleep deprivation are manifold, effecting nearly every physiologic system. Studies evaluating strategies at mitigating the effects of sleep deprivation are promising, including work done with napping, stimulant use, and service restructuring, but are fundamentally limited by generalizability, scale, and scope.

Summary: The overwhelming majority of data published on sleep deprivation is limited by size, scope, and generalizability. Within acute care surgery, there is a dearth of studies that adequately define and describe sleep deprivation as it pertains to high-performance professions. Given the growing issue of burnout amongst surgeons paired with a growing patient population that is older and more complex, strategies to combat sleep deprivation are paramount for surgeon retention and wellbeing.

Keywords: Acute care surgery; Burnout; Sleep deprivation; Trauma surgery.

Fig. 1

Negative cycle involving poor sleep, worsening health conditions, and increased feelings of burnout. Adapted from Stewart et al. [4]