Ottavia Guglielmi

Occupational health of patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a systematic review.

PurposeThe aim of this systematic literature review was to assess the impact of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) on patients’ occupational health.MethodsWe selected 19 studies that dealt with issues related to job performance and productivity, absenteeism, and psychosocial health of patients with OSAS and assessed the risk of bias in their conclusions.ResultsAlthough methodologically rigorous studies are needed to confirm these findings, the results obtained suggest the existence of multiple relationships between OSAS and work limitations of patients (i.e., difficulties maintaining attention, learning new tasks, or performing monotonous tasks). The studies reviewed reached more scientifically consistent conclusions about such patients’ risk of taking more days of sick leave or having work disability, particularly if they reported excessive daytime sleepiness. Very few studies have explored the relationship between OSAS and psychosocial occupational health of patients. Thus, there is a need for research to clarify these aspects of occupational medicine.ConclusionsOSAS has numerous effects on patients’ occupational health, yet, in general, results should be confirmed by studies with sufficiently large samples in which OSAS is diagnosed with reliable methods and occupational variables are assessed with standardized and validated questionnaires.

Accidentes laborales, absentismo y productividad en pacientes con apneas del sueño

INTRODUCTION Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) has health-related outcomes, but the impact of OSAHS on occupational health has been scarcely studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of OSAHS on workplace accidents, absenteeism and productivity. METHOD One hundred eighty-two OSAHS patients and 71 healthy subjects completed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Spanish IMPALA (Impact of Disease on Work Productivity) index and answered various questions on workplace accidents and sick leave. Participants were classified to an OSAHS group or a non-OSAHS group according to polysomnography results. RESULTS Patients with OSAHS had more sick leave lasting longer than 30days (16.6% vs. 7%, P=.049) and lower productivity (63.80% vs. 83.20%, P=.000) than subjects without OSAHS, although the rate of workplace accidents was similar in both groups (27.4% vs 25.4%; P>.050). None of the OSAHS-related variables was associated with workplace accidents. A diagnosis of OSAHS was related with absenteeism. Psychological distress and OSAHS were related with productivity. CONCLUSIONS OSAHS causes limitations in the working lives of patients and leads to a higher incidence of sick leave and lower productivity. A diagnosis of OSAHS was the variable with most influence on the working lives of patients.

Job stress, burnout, and job satisfaction in sleep apnea patients

OBJECTIVE To assess job stress, burnout, and job satisfaction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). METHODS A total of 182 patients with OSAS and 71 healthy individuals completed the Job Content Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey, the Index of Job Satisfaction, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. All participants were assessed with full-night polysomnography. RESULTS Survey scores of patients diagnosed with OSAS only differed from those of the control group in the emotional exhaustion dimension (P = 0.015). According to a multivariate analysis, the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was only correlated with perceived support at work (β coefficient = 0.142; P = 0.048). Associations were found between subjective sleep quality, perceived support from coworkers, and supervisors (β = 0.157; P = 0.025), psychological demands (β = 0.226; P = 0.001), emotional exhaustion (β = 0,405; P = 0.000), and cynicism (β = 0.224; P = 0.002). The study also revealed associations between excessive daytime sleepiness and the burnout dimensions emotional exhaustion (β = 0.232; P = 0.000) and cynicism (β = 0.139; P = 0.048). CONCLUSION Objective parameters of OSAS such as the AHI seem to have limited influence on the psychosocial aspects of the occupational life of patients with OSAS. There is evidence of significant associations between the subjective symptoms of the disease, such as daytime sleepiness, subjective sleep quality, job stress, and burnout.