Comparison of Biomarkers of Stress in Emergency Physicians Working a 24-hour Shift or a 14-hour Night Shift - the JOBSTRESS Randomized Trial

A stressful state can lead to symptoms of mental exhaustion, physical fatigue, medical errors, and also increase coronary heart disease. Emergency physicians subjectively complain of stress related to changes in work shifts. Several potential biomarkers of stress have been described, but never investigated in emergency physician, who may represent a good model of stress due to the complex interplay between stress (life-and-death emergencies, which is the defining characteristic of their job), lack of sleep and fatigue due to repeated changes in shifts.The aim of this study was to compare biomarkers in emergency physicians working a 24-hour shift (24hS) or a 14-hour night shift (14hS), and in those working a control day (clerical work on return from leave). We also followed these markers three days following each shift (D3/24hS and D3/14hS).