25 Oct Better Sleep and Wellbeing for Healthcare Workers
In January 2023 the Australasian Sleep Association (ASA) and Sleep Health Foundation submitted a policy proposal to the Australian Government responding to the current crisis in shift workers working in essential healthcare and aged care roles. This submission built upon the work done in a 2019 parliamentary enquiry into Sleep Health Awareness in Australia. In August 2023 the government responded, officially supporting 10 out of the 11 recommendations put forward in the 2019 parliamentary enquiry.
- Australian frontline health workers in one study reported mild to severe anxiety (60%), mild to severe depression (57%) and moderate to severe burnout (71%)
- 1% of Victorian health care and aged care workers surveyed reported emotional exhaustion reflecting moderate-severe burnout
- 46% of doctors in training in NSW hospitals reported making a fatigue-induced errors
- A recent systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that physicians experiencing burnout are twice as likely to be involved in patient safety incidents and more than three times as likely to have thoughts or intentions to leave their job
ASA Committee recommendations:
- Safe Work Australia and the Alertness CRC provide updated guidelines (based on current research and science) for industries using shift work, regarding optimal shift structures and other workplace practices that promote alertness, productivity and ensure worker safety.
- Australian Government work with the states and territories to:
- Develop a nationally consistent approach to working hours and rest breaks for shift workers; and
- Consider whether there is a need for sleep health screenings for shift workers; and
- That this approach be based on guidelines recommended by Safe Work Australia and the Alertness CRC.
For more information refer to our website: www.tsgq.com.au/blog/sleep-enquiry
You will be able to find direct links to the following materials on our website:
- 2019 Parliamentary enquiry: for more information
- 2023 Policy submission from the ASA
- 2023 Official Government Response
- Access Economics ‘Wake Up Australia: The Value of Healthy Sleep’ Report
- Report to the Sleep Health Foundation: 2016 Sleep Health Survey of Australian Adults
Author: Phil Teuwen (BSc, MBA, ACP-Sleep), Sleep Scientist