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Measurement of reaction time following overnight admission to hospital
214
D. Papakostopoulos,
ings so far could not support originated in limbic structures.
ed. / Psychophysiology
the hypothesis
MEASUREMENT OF REACTION ADMISSION TO HOSPITAL M.R. WATSON,
G.W. FENTON
TIME
Socq
uhstructs
that the recorded
FOLLOWING
theta
waves
OVERNIGHT
and W. RUTHERFORD
Depurtment of Mental Health, QueenS Umuersiiy, Belfast and Accident and Emergemy Royul Victoria Hospital, Belfast, U.K.
Depurtment,
Admission to hospital is frequently a feature of clinical research studies. Non-specific stress effects arising from admission are consequently an influence on these. This study was carried out to quantify these effects on performance. Twenty-eight cases of abdominal pain without complicating illnesses were investigated using a ten minute four-choice reaction time test, the Mood Adjective Checklist and St. Mary’s Hospital Sleep Questionnaire on the morning following admission and six weeks later. A control group, matched for age and sex, was obtained from the general population. In the patient group there was significant serial improvement ( p < 0.001) on the reaction time test in mean reaction time and total number of responses, mean reaction time and number of correct responses. There was similar improvement in the control group (p < 0.001) and the magnitude of this improvement was not different between groups. However, significant differences between groups 9p < 0.001) were observed in the above measures on both occasions of testing. Other measures of performance were not different either within or between groups. Patients sleep less well in hospital than at home (5.2 hrs compared with 8 hrs), almost all showing a shift in the time of onset of sleep (25% having a delay of over 2 hrs) and more frequently expressing dissatisfaction with the quality of sleep ( p < 0.01). Controls showed no difference in sleep pattern on the two occasions. At day 0 and 6 weeks patients reported higher levels of stress than controls ( p < 0.02). These findings are in keeping with the view that stress degrades performance. More significantly, the serial improvement in performance in both groups suggests the possibility of a long-term practice effect.
D. Papakostopoulos,
ings so far could not support originated in limbic structures.
ed. / Psychophysiology
the hypothesis
MEASUREMENT OF REACTION ADMISSION TO HOSPITAL M.R. WATSON,
G.W. FENTON
TIME
Socq
uhstructs
that the recorded
FOLLOWING
theta
waves
OVERNIGHT
and W. RUTHERFORD
Depurtment of Mental Health, QueenS Umuersiiy, Belfast and Accident and Emergemy Royul Victoria Hospital, Belfast, U.K.
Depurtment,
Admission to hospital is frequently a feature of clinical research studies. Non-specific stress effects arising from admission are consequently an influence on these. This study was carried out to quantify these effects on performance. Twenty-eight cases of abdominal pain without complicating illnesses were investigated using a ten minute four-choice reaction time test, the Mood Adjective Checklist and St. Mary’s Hospital Sleep Questionnaire on the morning following admission and six weeks later. A control group, matched for age and sex, was obtained from the general population. In the patient group there was significant serial improvement ( p < 0.001) on the reaction time test in mean reaction time and total number of responses, mean reaction time and number of correct responses. There was similar improvement in the control group (p < 0.001) and the magnitude of this improvement was not different between groups. However, significant differences between groups 9p < 0.001) were observed in the above measures on both occasions of testing. Other measures of performance were not different either within or between groups. Patients sleep less well in hospital than at home (5.2 hrs compared with 8 hrs), almost all showing a shift in the time of onset of sleep (25% having a delay of over 2 hrs) and more frequently expressing dissatisfaction with the quality of sleep ( p < 0.01). Controls showed no difference in sleep pattern on the two occasions. At day 0 and 6 weeks patients reported higher levels of stress than controls ( p < 0.02). These findings are in keeping with the view that stress degrades performance. More significantly, the serial improvement in performance in both groups suggests the possibility of a long-term practice effect.