“I Want to Be Safe and Not Still Half Asleep”: Exploring Practical Countermeasures to Manage the Risk of Sleep Inertia for Emergency Service Personnel Using a Mixed Methods Approach

Katya Kovac,1 Grace E Vincent,1 Jessica L Paterson,2 Sally A Ferguson1 1School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, Wayville, SA, Australia; 2Flinders Institute of Mental Health and Wellbeing, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, AustraliaCorrespondence: Katya Kovac, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, 44 Greenhill Road, Wayville, SA, 5034, Australia, Tel +61 420 718 242, Email katya.kovac@cqumail.comPurpose: The aim of this exploratory cross-sectional mixed methods study was to determine 1) whether sleep inertia, the temporary state of impaired vigilance performance upon waking, is perceived to be a concern by emergency service personnel, 2) what strategies are currently used by emergency service workplaces to manage sleep inertia, 3) the barriers to implementing reactive sleep inertia countermeasures, and 4) what strategies personnel suggest to manage sleep inertia.Participants and Methods: A sample (n = 92) of employed and volunteer Australian emergency service personnel (fire and rescue, ambulance, police, state-based rescue and recovery personnel) completed an online survey. Data collected included demographic variables and work context, experiences of sleep inertia in the emergency role, barriers to sleep inertia countermeasures, and existing workplace sleep inertia countermeasures and recommendations. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were thematically analysed.Results: Approximately 67% of participants expressed concern about sleep inertia when responding in their emergency role. Despite this, there were few strategies to manage sleep inertia in the workplace. One major barrier identified was a lack of time in being able to implement sleep inertia countermeasures. Fatigue management strategies, such as reducing on-call periods, and operational