Sleep deprivation is an issue prevalent in the United States, and is often ignored by Americans. One group in which sleep deprivation negatively impacts is the healthcare professionals. Moreover, lack of sleep amongst medical professionals has been linked to various clinical and medical errors which affect the quality of performance and risks patient safety. Sleep should be recognized as important public health, but also emphasized awareness on the medical professionals whose jobs involve people’s lives.

According to the National Institutes of Health, adults are recommended 7-8 hours of sleep, however almost 40% of Americans sleep less than 7 hours. Irregular hours and long works shifts are often the reason for medical professionals lack sleep. Researches and studies have shown that sleep deprivation can impair the cognitive functioning and decrease the quality of performance. Thus, it should be important for medical professionals to receive the needed hours of sleep in order to optimize their performance and decrease the likelihood of errors and accidents.

The main purpose of this health campaign is to raise awareness of the dangers of sleep deprivation of healthcare professionals and gather public support. Rather than targeting a large population, the campaign will be focusing on the college student population due to its feasibility. By raising awareness to the college students, it will enable the younger generation to proactively support a change in policy regarding regulating hours for medical professionals.