Predictors of Intershift Fatigue Recovery Among Doctors

A Protocol

Abstract

Introduction: Doctors are exposed to various psychosocial hazards such as high task demands and demanding work schedule which may influence fatigue, recovery, stress, job satisfaction, wellbeing, and work-family interface. This research generally aims to examine the interrelationship between work-home domain variables with outcomes of fatigue, its recovery, and others related outcomes such as work-to-family conflict, general wellbeing, and perceived stress level among doctors working at public hospital at general and day-level on-call duty.

Methods: This is a multicenter analytical mix cross sectional (general) and longitudinal (day-level) research among proposed 390 randomly-sampled on-call doctors working at seven core clinical disciplines from seven public tertiary hospitals in Malaysia. Data will be collected three times: (a) any days after obtaining informed consent (cross sectional), (b) at the end of on-call duty (first wave longitudinal), and (c) at the beginning of subsequent work period (second wave longitudinal). Data will be modelled by covariance-based structural equation modelling (SEM).

Conclusion: This research is well justifiable in view of limited available research on complex interrelationship of work domain, home domain and work-home boundary control with fatigue, recovery and other psychological health consequences (e.g. stress, wellbeing, work-home conflict) among doctors, particularly in Asia and developed countries, including Malaysia. This research is expected to provide strong evidence to policy makers in developing prevention and management policy related to fatigue, recovery and other psychological health consequences among doctors.

Keywords: doctor, fatigue, recovery, on-call, intershift, wellbeing, stress,