The U.K. Embryologist Fatigue Study
Condition: Fatigue; Stress; Burnout, Professional; Musculoskeletal Pain; Back Pain; Neck Pain; Headache; Dizziness; Sleep Disturbance; Chest Pain; Syncope; Cardiovascular Diseases; Shortness of Breath; Gastrointestinal Diseases
MeSH terms: Musculoskeletal Pain; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Digestive System Diseases; Dyspnea; Syncope; Cardiovascular Diseases; Fatigue; Neck Pain; Chest Pain; Dizziness; Burnout, Professional; Burnout, Psychological
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The purpose of the study is to determine physical and mental health issues of U.K.
      embryologists related to their occupational characteristics, and how workplace fatigue and
      burnout may affect their quality of life, cynicism, interactions with patients, attention to
      detail, and lead to human error, the cause of the most severe IVF incidents that often make
      headlines and result in costly litigation. It will also correlate how the current manual
      workflows contribute to these health issues, and what measures can be taken to improve both
      working conditions and embryologists' health, and, therefore, improve patient care.
    

Detailed description: 
      Embryologist fatigue surveys conducted in Spain, the United States, and the international
      survey of embryologists from 85 countries reported that embryologists experience work-related
      fatigue, stress, and burnout. They named those as contributing factors to decreased
      efficiency, cynicism, and emotional exhaustion, which, together with having to handle the
      increasing cycle volume using conventional, manual protocols of cryomanagement, can lead to
      human error and IVF incidents. The known IVF incidents resulted in lost, damaged, or
      misplaced embryos and gametes, lawsuits, and reputational damage to patients and providers.
      In the absence of a "better than" cryopreservation storage solution, many programs just
      turned to buying more tanks and alarms and/or added expensive staff. The more effective
      solutions should focus on optimizing workflows by adopting innovation like automation and a
      digital chain of custody, organizational changes that will lead to a more productive,
      collaborative, and rewarding work environment, allowing embryologists to focus on patient
      care, scientific research, innovation, and career planning, and fewer incidents and lawsuits.

      The purpose of this cross-sectional study using a web-based survey is to determine physical
      and mental health issues of U.K. embryologists related to their occupational characteristics,
      and how workplace fatigue and burnout may affect their quality of life, cynicism,
      interactions with patients, attention to detail, and lead to human error, the cause of the
      most severe IVF incidents that often make headlines and result in costly litigation. It will
      also correlate how the current manual workflows contribute to these health issues, and what
      measures can be taken to improve both working conditions and embryologists' health, and,
      therefore, improve patient care.
    

Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Cross-Sectional
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Embryologists are the ART/IVF/embryology laboratory personnel who provide fertility and
        embryology services, including but not limited to IVF procedures, pre-implantation genetic
        testing of embryos, freezing/vitrification of embryos and gametes, cryomanagement of
        frozen/vitrified embryos and gametes, and monitoring and maintenance of laboratory records
        and equipment. They range in age, gender, marital status, children, and relationship
        status, but they must have a minimum of BA/BS degree, and HFEA or other professional
        certifications to work as an HFEA-licensed embryology laboratory technologist or
        supervisor, and a postgraduate degree, such as MA/MSci, PhD, MD, or DO to serve as the
        embryology laboratory director. Embryologists of all career levels work in a private,
        academic, government, or corporate IVF clinical/laboratory on a full-time, part-time, or
        per-diem basis, and with a permanent or a non-permanent contract.
      
Keywords: fatigue; burnout; stress; occupational health; occupational challenges