Work

Fitness for Duty

Year: 2011

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of a 3-minute Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) to predict fatigue-related performance decrements on a simulated luggage-screening task (SLST). METHODS: Thirty-six healthy nonprofessional subjects (mean age = 30.8 years, 20 women) participated in a 4-day laboratory protocol including a 34-hour period of total sleep deprivation with PVT and SLST testing every 2 hours. RESULTS: Eleven and 20 lapses (355-ms threshold) on the PVT optimally divided SLST performance into high-, medium-, and low-performance bouts with significantly decreasing threat detection performance A'. Assignment to the different SLST performance groups replicated homeostatic and circadian patterns during total sleep deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: The 3-minute PVT was able to predict performance on a simulated luggage-screening task. Fitness-for-duty feasibility should now be tested in professional screeners and operational environments.

Source: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

DOI: 10.1097/jom.0b013e31822b8356

Authors: Mathias Basner, Joshua Rubinstein

Institutions: University of Pennsylvania, United States Department of Homeland Security

Language: English

Topic: Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research, National Center for Research Resources, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences