Evaluation of the Relationship between Occupational Accidents and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk among Employees of a University Hospital

CONTEXT: Occupational accidents are still one of the important causes of morbidity and mortality. Sleep apnea is a significant risk factor for occupational accidents in hospitals. AIMS: To determine the frequency of occupational accidents and their relationship with the risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSAS). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Cross-sectional study in a hospital setting. METHODS AND MATERIAL: This study was conducted on 331 hospital workers between 2019-2020. Accidents from the Social Security Institution records were used. The risk of OSAS was evaluated with Berlin Survey, daytime sleepiness with Epworth Sleepiness Scale, sleep quality with Pittsburg Sleep Quality Scale. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The Chi-square test was used for analysis; P < 0.05 was accepted as a statistical significance value. RESULTS: Of the participants, 231 (69.8%) were female. Their ages ranged between 19 and 55; the mean age was 33.8 ± 8.0 years. The frequency of occupational accidents was 8.8%, 51.4% had a high risk of OSAS, 80.4% had high daytime sleepiness, and 53.5% had poor sleep quality. CONCLUSION: The study group had a high risk of sleep disorders. No relationship was found between sleep disorders and occupational accidents. More comprehensive studies are needed to clarify this relationship.