Background:

To explore the extent to which the shift-workers of emergency ambulances maintain an adequate sleep quality and adaptation to shift-work, and its relationship to personal, circadian rhythm, and work-related factors.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 180 technicians and nurses from the Emergency Medical Service of the Basque Country (18-60 years old) who were surveyed. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Adaptation to Shift-Work Scale (ASW), the Circadian Type Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM) for evaluating chronotype, were administered.

Results:

Fifty-two percent of the staff presented an intermediate adaptation and 30% reported a good adaptation. A progressive deterioration of sleep quality across the shifts (52% were bad sleepers during days-off, 63% after day-shifts and 90% after night-shifts) was related to a poorer level of adaptation to shift-work. A predictive model of adaptability was obtained based on the baseline level of sleep quality during the days-off and the V factor. The R factor moderated this interaction positively or negatively depending on sleep quality.

Conclusions:

There is a high presence of sleep disorders among the technicians and nurses of emergency ambulances as the main symptom of maladjustment to shift-work. Sleeping habits can cushion the impact of difficulties in resting and favor a better adaptation to shifts, introducing key-factors at the level of formation, prevention and intervention.