Sleep Quality among Intern Doctors in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Sleep is essential for overall well-being, influencing both mental and physical health across all occupations. Inadequate sleep poses a significant threat to the health and decision-making abilities of doctors. This study aimed to assess the quality of sleep and its associated factors among intern doctors in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 350 intern doctors from three tertiary-level teaching hospitals using convenience sampling. Data were collected through a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire incorporating the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The primary outcome was the prevalence of poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5) and its association with socio-demographic and work-related factors. An overwhelming 67.7% of intern doctors were found to suffer from poor sleep quality. The mean PSQI score among the participants was 7.25 ± 3.23. On average, intern doctors reported a daily sleep duration of 5.86 ± 1.14 hours, accompanied by a mean sleep latency of 35.41 ± 26.39 minutes. The highest PSQI domain scores were recorded for sleep duration (1.57 ± 0.78), sleep latency (1.41 ± 0.88), and subjective sleep quality (1.35 ± 0.77). Poor sleep quality was associated with female gender (p = 0.002), weekly work hours (p < 0.001), consecutive shifts (p = 0.002), sleep duration (p < 0.001), rotation across units (p < 0.001), and engagement in academic activities (p = 0.001). Sleep quality was found to be alarmingly poor among the intern doctors. Considering the potential negative impacts on cognitive performance, clinical judgment, and overall well-being, there is an urgent need for the implementation of targeted interventions and supportive institutional policies to address this pressing public health concern.