JOB STRESS in OPHthalmology Physicians and Residents
Recruiting now · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Stress, Heart Rate Variability
In brief
Ophthalmology physicians and residents work under stress conditions during night emergency ophthalmology shifts. Under time pressure, that is a characteristic of the urgency of care, they must use all their cognitive resources to make an accurate diagnosis and to provide accurate decisions, with sometimes surgical emergency acts. In addition, in France, they work at night following by an usual day work, and they can also work 48 consecutive hours during weekends, followed by a work day … i.e. 60 consecutive hours of work … Long working hours with a short recovery time has been demonstrated to be a major factor of stress and fatigue. Even if not demonstrated on ophthalmologists, those working conditions may contribute to symptoms of mental exhaustion and physical fatigue (sleep deprivation), often accompanied by a loss of motivation at work. This may leads to a feeling of loss of time control; stress can also distort the perception of time and leads to hasty actions or delayed decision-making. The combined effects of stress, feelings of loss of time control, and fatigue necessarily have an impact on work performance and work quality, with a high risk of medical error. Moreover, prolonged stress may expose ophthalmologists to a higher risk of multiple diseases, predominantly systemic inflammation and coronary heart disease. The main hypothesis is that prolonged work (up to 60 consecutive working hours) may impact on HRV, comparatively to a typical working day.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT04959838
- Run by
- University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand
- People needed
- 30
- Starts
- 2021-07-06
- Expected to finish
- 2027-07-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-06-16
Who can join
Age: 18 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Ophthalmologists defined as physicians who completed the ophthalmology DES (Specialized studies diploma), as well as ophthalmology residents defined as a resident registered in the ophthalmology DES working during the inclusion period in the ophthalmology department of the university hospital center of Clermont-Ferrand.
- Ability to give a written informed consent to participate in research.
- Affiliation to a social security system.
- Age between 18 and 65 years old
You may not qualify if…
- Participant refusal to participate
- Children under the age of 18, pregnant and breastfeeding women, protected adults (individuals under guardianship by court order), adults deprived of their liberty.
Where it is running
- CHU clermont-ferrand — Clermont-Ferrand, France (enrolling)
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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