Laparoscopic skills and cognitive function are not affected in surgeons during a night shift

Objective To monitor surgeons' performance and cognition during night shifts. Design Surgeons were monitored before call and on call (17-hour shift). Psychomotor performance was assessed by laparoscopic simulation and cognition by the d2 test of attention. The surgeons performed the laparoscopic simulation and the d2 test of attention at 8 a.m. before call and at 4 a.m. on call. Sleep was measured by wrist actigraphy and sleepiness by the Karolinska sleepiness scale. Setting Department of Surgery at Herlev Hospital, Denmark. Participants Overall, 30 interns, residents, and attending surgeons were included and completed the study. One participant was subsequently excluded owing to myxedema. Results The surgeons slept significantly less on call than before call. There was increasing sleepiness on call; however, no significant differences were found in the precall laparoscopic simulation values compared with on-call values. The d2 test of attention showed significantly improved values on call compared with before call. Conclusion Sleep deprivation during a 17-hour night shift did not impair surgeons' psychomotor or cognitive performance.