Dynamics of Heart Rate Variability Indicators in Emergency Medical Workers

Summary. The purpose of our study was to study the influence of professional activity on the functional state of the body of medical workers of emergency medical teams (SMP).
Materials and methods of research. The study involved 65 medical workers from mobile ambulance teams. The distribution of those examined by gender was 19 men and 46 women; by position – 16 doctors and 49 paramedics. The study was carried out from May to October 2021. The work schedule of the subjects was: work shift – 24 hours, rest period – 72 hours. The indicators recorded before and after work (n=46), between adjacent shifts after rest (n=23) were assessed, as well as at different periods of the year (n=16).
HRV monitoring was used as a method for objective analysis of fatigue. The choice of methodology was determined by the specifics of the work of mobile ambulance teams during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was characterized by a large number of people in need of emergency medical care with a shortage of time and personnel.
Research results and their analysis. The predominance of the activity of the parasympathetic department before work, the increased activity of sympathetic influences and the predominance of central regulatory mechanisms over autonomous ones after work were established; the greater severity of negative changes at the end of work in doctors compared with paramedics; negative dynamics of off-season indicators, confirming the persistence of negative changes in the functional state of employees.