AB144. SOH26AB_0154. Elucidating physiological and psychological demands, consequences, and coping strategies of repetitive overnight shift work as an intensive care registrar
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AB144. SOH26AB_0154. Elucidating physiological and psychological demands, consequences, and coping strategies of repetitive overnight shift work as an intensive care registrar

Natalie Lenggenhager, Brian O’Brien

Department of Anaesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland

Background: It is well known that the demands of the intensive care units (ICUs) in Ireland are extraordinary. In an effort to meet the demands of the ICU, doctors, namely anaesthesiology trainees, are regularly exposed to harsh working conditions, which include high-intensity situations with long and irregular working hours. Given the wide array of challenges, this cohort is at considerable risk for declining health and burnout. We found that there is a stark paucity of information surrounding the health and physical well-being of anaesthetic trainees. Given the remarkable lack of descriptive data on this cohort of doctors, this study aimed to provide an initial glance at the demands placed on ICU registrars who work repetitive, consecutive overnight call shifts.

Methods: This study was conducted in Cork University Hospital with a multi-parameter approach of qualitative interviewing and validated questionnaires assessing self-efficacy and burnout of eight intensive care registrars. We assessed correlations of psychological and emotional demands of this unique occupational environment through thematic analysis of qualitative interviews. Finally, we assessed the coping strategies of anaesthetic trainees in this environment using a structured questionnaire.

Results: Thematic analysis of qualitative interviews revealed recurring themes of fear in both clinical and professional settings, as well as feelings of empowerment in clinical development. Furthermore, this study reveals areas of improvement in rostering for this particular cohort of doctors. We discuss potential areas that healthcare managers can address to support and optimise working conditions for intensive care doctors.

Conclusions: This information is informative of systematic changes and structures in ICUs throughout Ireland that can be established to support this susceptible cohort of doctors.

Keywords: Intensive care doctors; anaesthesiology trainees; workplace demands; coping strategies; systemic improvements

Acknowledgments

None.

Footnote

Funding: None.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/map-26-ab144
Cite this abstract as: Lenggenhager N, O’Brien B. AB144. SOH26AB_0154. Elucidating physiological and psychological demands, consequences, and coping strategies of repetitive overnight shift work as an intensive care registrar. Mesentery Peritoneum 2026;10:AB144.

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