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Sleep Disorders Management, Health and Safety in Police
This study is currently recruiting participants.
Verified by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, August 2006
Sponsors and Collaborators: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Information provided by: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00207285
  Purpose

The purpose of the study is to test the effect of a sleep disorders detection and treatment program for police officers on their safety, quality of life, and job performance. The program is called Operation Healthy Sleep. We will develop and test a sleep health detection and treatment program that we aim to apply nationwide to reduce police officer fatigue and stress; enhance the ability of officers and their families to cope with police work; improve the health, safety and performance of law enforcement officers; and thereby improve public safety. Part of this program will include a questionnaire asking about about work hours and health related issues. We will then look at how these survey data relate with data on police officer safety and job performance that we are collecting through police department’s databases.

Sleep disorders are common and treatable, but often remain undiagnosed and untreated. Police officers work some of the most demanding schedules known, which increases their risk of sleep disorders. The public expects officers to perform flawlessly, but unrecognized sleep disorders lead to severe disruption of sleep, which significantly reduces an individual’s ability to think clearly and perform well. In addition, sleep loss and sleep disruption affect personal health, increasing the risk of gastrointestinal and cardiovascular. We also know that sleep loss increases the risk of injury due to motor vehicle crashes.

The goals of Operation Healthy Sleep are to improve officers’ health, safety, and performance by reducing the impact of fatigue.

The study will take place over two years. In the first year, half of the police officers will take part in Operation Healthy Sleep, and in the second year, the second half will participate. We will carefully select the year 1 and year 2 groups so that the data collected across the two years can be validly compared.


Condition Intervention
Sleep Disorders
Sleep Apnea, Obstructive
Restless Legs Syndrome
Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
Behavioral: Sleep Hygiene Education
Procedure: Screening and Treatment of Sleep Disorders

MedlinePlus related topics: Restless Legs Sleep Apnea Sleep Disorders
U.S. FDA Resources
Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Diagnostic, Randomized, Open Label, Placebo Control, Factorial Assignment, Safety/Efficacy Study
Official Title: Sleep Disorders Management, Health and Safety in Police

Further study details as provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • Motor vehicle accidents as a function of miles traveled
  • Number of on-the-job injuries
  • Number of citations issued
  • Number of arrests made
  • Number of warnings issued
  • Number of officer-initiated vehicle assists
  • Number of sick leave days
  • Sleep duration
  • Sleep quality
  • Alertness
  • Performance

Secondary Outcome Measures:
  • Job satisfaction
  • Burnout
  • Works hours

Estimated Enrollment: 2400
Study Start Date: May 2005
Detailed Description:

Information Session and Surveys We will visit police stations and present an information session about Operation Healthy Sleep. The session will take place during work time. During this session, we will also provide a short education session aimed to help officers to improve their sleep habits and alertness. During the session, we will invite officers to take part in Operation Healthy Sleep.

If the officer agrees to take part, he/she will be asked to provide informed consent, and then complete a survey. The survey is comprehensive and includes questions regarding work schedules, past medical history, health habits, accidents, quality of life, and mood. The survey will also include a screening test to see if they might have a sleeping disorder. The total time commitment involved in attending the information/education session and completing the survey will be about 1 to 2 hours.

Officers will be asked to provide email address and other contact information. Officers will then receive information on how to link to our monthly web-based nationwide survey. The brief monthly surveys include questions regarding work schedules, accidents and injuries, health, quality of life, and mood. The survey should take about 10-15 minutes to complete each month.

Finally, a version of the survey will be completed at the end of each year until the study is completed (i.e. at most, two years). These yearly surveys will be completed during regular work time.

During the study, we will be tracking work hours, accidents, and job performance of all officers using the police department’s computerized and paper records. Data collected through this system may be compared with other data we collect from officers directly. Protection of officers’ confidentiality will be our highest priority.

Assessment and Treatment of Sleep Disorders After the initial information/education session is completed, we will review responses to the survey to check whether officers are at risk of having a sleep disorder. If officers are found to be at risk, we will contact them and recommend that they undergo assessment and, if necessary, treatment by a physician or sleep specialist. We will provide the officer with referrals to local sleep disorders testing and treatment centers and physicians. Officers are free to choose another sleep disorders specialist or another physician if they prefer.

  Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years and older
Genders Eligible for Study:   Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   Yes
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Active sworn police officers

Exclusion Criteria:

  • none
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00207285

Contacts
Contact: Conor S. O'Brien, BA 617 732-8385 cobrien@rics.bwh.harvard.edu
Contact: Mary Kay Landon, BA 617 732-5932 mlandon@rics.bwh.harvard.edu

Locations
United States, Massachusetts
Brigham and Women's Hospital Recruiting
Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
Contact: Ralph Todesco     617-732-8575     rtodesco@rics.bwh.harvard.edu    
Contact: Conor S O'Brien, BA     617 732-8385        
Sub-Investigator: Shantha MW Rajaratnam, Ph.D.            
Sub-Investigator: Steven W Lockley, PhD            
Sub-Investigator: Laura K Barger, PhD            
Sub-Investigator: Christopher P Landrigan, MD MPH            
Sub-Investigator: David White, MD            
Sponsors and Collaborators
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Charles A Czeisler, Ph.D., M.D. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
  More Information

Study ID Numbers: 1RO1 OH008496
Study First Received: September 13, 2005
Last Updated: October 19, 2006
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00207285  
Health Authority: United States: Federal Government

Keywords provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Police
Sleep
Fatigue
Work Hours
Sleep disorder
Performance

Study placed in the following topic categories:
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
Sleep Apnea Syndromes
Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm
Fatigue
Ekbom syndrome
Apnea
Sleep Apnea, Obstructive
Respiration Disorders
Disorders of Environmental Origin
Sleep Disorders
Dyssomnias
Psychomotor Agitation
Chronobiology Disorders
Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic
Signs and Symptoms
Respiratory Tract Diseases
Mental Disorders
Restless Legs Syndrome
Neurologic Manifestations
Occupational Diseases

Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Pathologic Processes
Disease
Syndrome
Parasomnias
Nervous System Diseases

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on January 16, 2009