A recent study of emergency medicine healthcare workers at a large urban medical center investigated the link between sleep disturbance, burnout, and emotional exhaustion. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study found that poor sleep quality increased the likelihood of elevated emotional exhaustion by 2.45 times, and insomnia symptoms were also associated with a more than doubling of emotional exhaustion. The research was conducted between November 2020 and January 2022, involving 126 workers who completed online questionnaires about their sleep patterns and burnout symptoms. Results highlighted the prevalence of poor sleep, emphasizing the impact of depersonalization and emotional exhaustion among emergency medicine professionals.
It all adds up: Researchers note that poor sleep may also be associated with factors unrelated to the demands of the medical profession or the intensity of emergency medicine, citing examples such as personal stressors and family obligations. As the public health emergency ended in May 2023 and the pandemic atmosphere quelled, exhausted clinicians expected some relief from the frenzy. Burnout is still a near-universal issue, and the variables are many.