CE Module: Sleep and Safety Decision-Making Among Truck Drivers

This issue of Workplace Health & Safety contains a Continuing Nursing Education Module for 1.0 contact hour of continuing nursing education credit will be awarded by AAOHN upon successful completion of the posttest and evaluation.

A certificate will be awarded when the following requirements are met by the participant: (1) Participant logs on to the AAOHN LMS website at www.aaohn.org/education/online-learning-center and enrolls in the course ($10 members; $15 non-members); (2) The completed posttest and course evaluation are entered online at http://www.aaohn.org by March 2023; (3) A score of 75% (6 correct answers) is achieved by the participant.

Upon completion of this lesson, the occupational health nurse will be able to:

• Discuss the importance of restorative sleep in truck drivers.

• Identify the factors that influence sleep and safety decision-making among truck drivers.

The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is an Approved Provider of continuing nursing education by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc., an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. The American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. is additionally approved as a CNE provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing (#CEP9283).

Contact hours received for successful completion of the posttest and evaluation may be used for relicensure, certification, and re-certification.

1. Some of the identified job-related factors that contribute to sleep disruption in truck drivers are:

2. Fixed schedules

3. Unpredictable delays due to road and weather conditions

4. Challenging warehouse staff

Obstructive sleep apnea is more prevalent in truck drivers than the lay public leading to fragmented and interrupted sleep:

True

False

The researchers identified this gap in the literature relating to sleep and truck drivers:

Fragmented sleep and nighttime driving

Sleep and inconsistent schedules

Sleep and safety related decision-making

Sleep and long trips

Inclusion criteria for participants in this study were:

Truck drivers who slept at least 3 nights a week in their trucks

Abstained from alcohol and illegal drug use while on duty

Spoke and wrote English

All the above

Data collection was done through:

Phone surveys

On-line surveys

One-on-one interviews

Surveys done via social media

This study’s research design was

Quantitative

Qualitative

The themes that emerged regarding sleep and safety-related decision-making included:

Evolving driver characteristics and company-level factors

Night-time driving and lack of sleep

Relationship with dispatchers and the trucking company

Truck stops and weather conditions

Implications for Occupational Health Nurses include:

Recognizing the importance of assessing sleep hygiene in truck drivers

Understanding the stressors faced by truck drivers in their job and lifestyle

A

A & B