Sleep Disorders Management, Health and Safety in Police

Information Session and Surveys We will visit police stations and present an information session about Operation Healthy Sleep. The session will take place during work time. During this session, we will also provide a short education session aimed to help officers to improve their sleep habits and alertness. During the session, we will invite officers to take part in Operation Healthy Sleep. If the officer agrees to take part, he/she will be asked to provide informed consent, and then complete a survey. The survey is comprehensive and includes questions regarding work schedules, past medical history, health habits, accidents, quality of life, and mood. The survey will also include a screening test to see if they might have a sleeping disorder. The total time commitment involved in attending the information/education session and completing the survey will be about 1 to 2 hours. Officers will be asked to provide email address and other contact information. Officers will then receive information on how to link to our monthly web-based nationwide survey. The brief monthly surveys include questions regarding work schedules, accidents and injuries, health, quality of life, and mood. The survey should take about 10-15 minutes to complete each month. Finally, a version of the survey will be completed at the end of each year until the study is completed (i.e. at most, two years). These yearly surveys will be completed during regular work time. During the study, we will be tracking work hours, accidents, and job performance of all officers using the police department's computerized and paper records. Data collected through this system may be compared with other data we collect from officers directly. Protection of officers' confidentiality will be our highest priority. Assessment and Treatment of Sleep Disorders After the initial information/education session is completed, we will review responses to the survey to check whether officers are at risk of having a sleep disorder. If officers are found to be at risk, we will contact them and recommend that they undergo assessment and, if necessary, treatment by a physician or sleep specialist. We will provide the officer with referrals to local sleep disorders testing and treatment centers and physicians. Officers are free to choose another sleep disorders specialist or another physician if they prefer.