The Impact of Rest Breaks on Subjective Fatigue in Physicians of the General Hospital of Vienna

Aims: Medical doctors are affected by high levels of occupational burnout. Work organization such as sufficient rest breaks can decrease stress and fatigue; however, rest breaks are often skipped under high workload and time pressure. The present study sought to investigate the effect of self-determined rest breaks on acute and daily levels of fatigue in physicians of the General Hospital of Vienna.

Methods: Rest breaks and fatigue were recorded throughout day shifts over a time span of 4 weeks with a mobile assessment device. A total of 12 physicians of a university clinic participated in the study. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equations.

Results: Analyses were based on a total of 115 workdays including 93 rest breaks and 800 fatigue assessments. Physicians took an average of 0.81 rest breaks per day. Fatigue was lower in the 30 min after the break than in the hour before the break; however, the number of rest breaks did not affect the increase of fatigue during shifts.

Conclusion: Self-determined rest breaks were effective in reducing acute fatigue in hospital physicians during work. The failure to find an effect on the increase of work-related fatigue may be due to the infrequency of rest breaks in hospital physicians.