Fatigue and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness among Medical School Interns
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1679-9836.v104i4e-231000Keywords:
Fatigue, Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, Medicine Internship, Medical StudentsAbstract
Objective: To investigate the levels of fatigue and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) among medical interns and to analyze the sociodemographic and personal factors associated with these conditions. Method: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, and quantitative study involving medical students in their internship period. The Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and a sociodemographic questionnaire were applied. Categorical variables were analyzed using frequencies and percentages, while numerical variables were described using summary measures (mean, median, and standard deviation). The study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee under protocol number 5496067. Results: A total of 254 medical interns participated in the study, with 239 included after applying the exclusion criteria. On the FAS, whith a maximum score of 50 points, scores ranged from 15 to 45, with an overall mean of 31.5 points. Variables such as female sex, psychiatric illness, difficulty sleeping, use of substances affecting sleep, lack of physical activity, being in the 9th semester, dissatisfaction with academic performance, not attending a residency preparatory course, and beginning residency studies in the 12th semester were associated with higher fatigue levels. Regarding the ESS, 38.5% of students were diagnosed with EDS. Associated variables included female sex, psychiatric illness, participation in social groups, dissatisfaction with academic performance, and not attending a residency preparatory course. Conclusion: Statistically significant associations (p ≤ 0.05) were identified between certain sociodemographic variables and increased fatigue, as well as the diagnosis of EDS among medical internship students.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Júlia Cera Scotá Moreira, Beatriz Costa do Nascimento, Isa Cerchi Arruda, Douglas Ferreira Vilas Boas, Gabrielly Costa do Nascimento, Marcela Souza Lima Paulo, Lucia Helena Sagrillo Pimassoni, Hebert Wilson Santos Cabral
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