Volume 49, Issue 1 March 2025 JVU 491-20 | Effect of Daylight Saving Time on the Performance of Non-Invasive Vascular Technologists in a Non-Invasive-Volume 49, Issue 1 March 2025 JVU 491-20 | Effect of Daylight Saving Time on the Performance of Non-Invasive Vascular Technologists in a Non-Invasive

Volume 49, Issue 1 March 2025 JVU 491-20 | Effect of Daylight Saving Time on the Performance of Non-Invasive Vascular Technologists in a Non-Invasive

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This study, published in the Journal for Vascular Ultrasound, evaluates the impact of Daylight Saving Time (DST) on the performance of noninvasive vascular technologists at a community hospital. The research, conducted by Ganguly et al., investigates whether the time change, often associated with health and safety concerns due to acute sleep loss, influences errors in a peripheral vascular laboratory.<br /><br />Over a five-year period (2019-2023), the study retrospectively analyzed vascular studies conducted during the week after the spring time change in DST compared to the week before it. Results indicated a slight increase in minor and moderate errors post-DST, with 15 minor and 17 moderate errors identified in comparison to 6 minor and 5 moderate pre-DST. Despite this increase, there were no major errors or adverse patient outcomes. The increase in errors was not statistically significant, with a relative risk of 1.37% and a cumulative error rate of 4.14% post-DST compared to 3.02% pre-DST. <br /><br />The study further analyzed errors based on experience and gender, finding that more experienced technologists showed a higher relative error risk, and male technologists had a marginally higher risk for moderate errors, though these were not statistically significant after correction for multiple comparisons.<br /><br />The research concludes that while DST does not significantly impact overall performance, there is an elevated relative risk for minor and moderate errors. This highlights the potential need for scheduling adjustments to mitigate the effects of sleep loss during DST. The study provides valuable insights into potential operational adjustments to maintain performance standards, especially with the upcoming legislative changes that might end biannual time changes post-2024. The findings emphasize the importance of maintaining high-quality protocols in minimizing human errors during times of acute sleep deprivation.

Keywords

Daylight Saving Time

vascular technologists

community hospital

sleep loss

vascular laboratory

error analysis

performance impact

scheduling adjustments

operational insights

human errors