Assessment of Fatigue in Deployed Critical Care Air Transport Team Crews
Abstract
This research investigated pre-deployment fatigue management training, as well as sleep patterns, level of fatigue, and fatigue countermeasures used in theater by Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT) members. CCATTs provide care to critically ill and injured patients during aeromedical transport. CCATT crewmembers are not classified as aircrew; thus, they do not operate with the same crew rest regulations as other aircrew. During high operational tempos in the Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom conflicts, anecdotal reports indicated fatigue concern with this population. The study was conducted in three phases: a predeployment survey, in-theater activity monitoring (Bagram or Kandahar from August 2012 to August 2013), and an end-of-deployment survey. During the 2-week participation period, daily sleep patterns and fatigue countermeasures were recorded via actigraphy and sleep logs for a 14-day period and fatigue assessment data were collected pre-, during, and post-mission. Predeployment surveys were completed by 50 subjects (18 physicians, 17 nurses, and 15 respiratory therapists). Results showed that 88% of physicians, 73% of nurses, and 58% of respiratory therapists received at least 1 hour of fatigue management training. Twenty-three deployed CCATT members participated in the in-theater activity monitoring. Average sleep times during a 24-hour period for study participants at Bagram and Kandahar were approximately 7.8 hours and 7.0 hours, respectively. During the study period, 89% of all participants reported using caffeine at least once, followed by physical activity at 79%, naps at 62%, bright lights at 42%, and energy drinks at 32%. While subjective alertness ratings indicated a decrease in perceived alertness throughout a mission, objective vigilance measures do not appear to decrease throughout the mission, thus suggesting that while participants may have felt less alert, their reaction time performance appears to be unchanged.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 31, 2015
- Accession Number
- ADA624315
Entities
People
- Brittany Fouts
- Bruce Wright
- Eric Powell
- Jennifer Serres
- Susan Dukes
- Wanda Parham-bruce
- William Dodson Iii
Organizations
- United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine