Prevalence of sleepiness among healthcare staff: A cross-sectional study in a university hospital in Palestine

Purpose: This study assesses sleep quality by measuring daytime sleepiness and related factors among healthcare professionals in a large university hospital.

Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted using the Arabic version of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the study was performed based on the STROBE guidelines.

Results: The majority of the participants were aged between 30 to 34 years 35.7%, most of the participants worked from 1 to 5 years 52.0 % in this hospital, also the majority of them were working from 30 to 40 hours per week 64.7%. The majority of medical personnel reported normal sleep; however, 25.4% reported that they may be excessively sleepy depending on the situation, and 2.8% reported that they are excessively sleepy and should consider seeking medical attention. There was a statistically significant association between sleepiness and sex using multivariate analysis (p value= 0.032).

Conclusions: Approximately one-third of participants reported excessive daytime sleepiness, which could indicate the need for medical attention. Daytime sleepiness could affect sleep quality and thus staff performance. It is essential to look for interventions to improve the work environment for healthcare staff to enhance their sleep quality and job performance. Staff may require effective lifestyle changes to improve their sleep quality.