Keywords
Sleep Quality
Cognitive Lapses
memory problem
attention
night-shift work
medical documentation specialists
occupational health psychology
fatigue management
healthcare workforce
How to Cite
Abstract
The increasing dependence on night-shift work within healthcare support services has raised concerns regarding its impact on employee cognitive functioning and occupational performance. Medical documentation specialists constitute a critical yet underexplored workforce whose responsibilities require sustained attention, accurate memory recall, and high levels of cognitive precision. The present study examined the relationship between night-shift exposure, sleep quality, memory problems, attention difficulties, and cognitive lapses among night-shift medical documentation specialists. Additionally, the study investigated whether
sleep quality mediates the relationship between night-shift exposure and cognitive outcomes.
A quantitative cross-sectional research design was employed using data collected from 200 night-shift medical documentation specialists. Standardized self-report measures assessed sleep quality, memory problems, attention problems, and cognitive lapses. Data were analyzed
using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and bootstrapped mediation analysis.
The findings revealed that poor sleep quality was significantly associated with greater memory problems (r = .58, p < .001), attention problems (r = .59, p < .001), and cognitive lapses (r = .53, p < .001). Multiple regression analyses indicated that poor sleep quality remained a significant predictor of memory problems (β = .60, p < .001), attention problems (β = .54, p <
.001), and cognitive lapses (β = .56, p < .001) after controlling for age, night-shift experience, and weekly night-shift frequency. Mediation analyses further demonstrated that sleep quality statistically mediated the relationship between night-shift exposure and all cognitive outcomes.
Reliability and validity indicators supported the robustness of the measurement model, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from .805 to .859 and satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity.
The study concludes that sleep quality represents a key explanatory mechanism linking nightshift work to cognitive difficulties among medical documentation specialists. These findings
contribute to occupational health psychology by extending existing knowledge beyond frontline healthcare professionals and highlighting the importance of sleep-focused interventions, fatigue management strategies, and evidence-based shift scheduling practices.
The study offers practical implications for healthcare organizations seeking to improve employee well-being, cognitive performance, and documentation accuracy in continuous-care environments.
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