The relationship between burnout, commuting crashes and drowsy driving among hospital health care workers

Abstract

Background Burnout and work satisfaction have been shown to be associated with risk of commuting crashes and drowsy driving. Although health care workers (HCWs) were found to have high burnout, no study has yet examined the relationship between burnout and commuting crashes in this occupational group. Objective The objective of this study was to examine the relationships between burnout, commuting crashes and drowsy driving among HCWs. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 291 HCWs in a tertiary hospital, using an online survey focusing on burnout subscales, work satisfaction, commuting crashes, and drowsy driving to and from work. Results One third of the sample population reported commuting crashes that led to physical, mental, and quality-of-life harms in more than half of them. Burnout was not associated with commuting crashes; however, it was associated with increased drowsy driving. Nurses reported on more physical, emotional, and quality-of-life harms, and administrative staff reported on more physical harm. Low work satisfaction was significantly associated with higher severity of reported mental harm ( p = 0.01). Conclusions Burnout and commuting crashes are more common among physician and nurses, compared to other HCWs. Work satisfaction and sense of personal accomplishment can reduce the negative outcomes of commuting crashes and may contribute to recovery of HCWs after commuting crashes.

Commuting Accidents and Its Associated Factors Among Public Hospital Nurses in Selangor, Malaysia

“…Contrary to secondary and tertiary hospitals, district hospitals' nurses might experience reduced workloads, better shifts, sufficient manpower, and lesser traffic congestion. 10 Performing double shifts in clinical departments like the Medical Department could disrupt sleep cycles, increasing the risk of commuting accidents, consistent with another study. 10 Increased home-workplace distances significantly increased the odds of commuting accident, similar to what has been found in other literature.…”

“…10 Performing double shifts in clinical departments like the Medical Department could disrupt sleep cycles, increasing the risk of commuting accidents, consistent with another study. 10 Increased home-workplace distances significantly increased the odds of commuting accident, similar to what has been found in other literature. 4 Longer commuting times and physical exhaustion might affect concentration, alertness, driving abilities, and increased tendencies for lane deviations (Figure 1).…”

Perceived stress among staff in Saudi Arabian dental colleges before and after an accreditation process: A cross-sectional study

“…However, one important objective of quality assurance was to produce quality graduates[ 24 ]. Another 2023 study by Bougherira et al [ 19 ] concluded that employees thought that NCAAA accreditation improved all practices, out of which the highest impact was on learning outcome practices[ 25 ]. Our findings are consistent with those of Al Mohaimeed et al [ 20 ] and Lightbody[ 21 ], who conducted similar studies on Saudi Arabian and Australian colleges.…”

Examining the Relationship Between Nurse Fatigue, Alertness, and Medication Errors

“…[17][18][19][20] Multiple studies have evaluated predictors of nurse fatigue and its relationship with various nurse and patient outcomes. These studies have consistently linked nurse fatigue to a range of negative outcomes, such as drowsy driving, [21][22][23] decision regret, 13 medication errors, 5 turnover intentions, 24 needlestick injuries, 25 sickness absences, 26,27 and nurses' mental health. 28 Although scholars have proposed that fatigue may diminish nurses' alertness, 8,10,[14][15][16] empirical evidence exploring this relationship remains limited.…”