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Are you sleeping? A Canadian study exploring sleep quality among medical students

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of the study is to assess the sleep quality among Canadian medical students and identify contributing factors to poor sleep. The research seeks to provide foundational data on Canadian medical students' sleep habits and stressors, informing future interventions to enhance their well-being and academic success. This project is being conducted independently from the schools and organizations from which I am being recruited. This project has received a grant from the Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa.
Participation: My participation will consist of completing an online survey (approx. 10-15 minutes). During this survey, I will be asked about my daily habits, sleep behaviors, fatigue levels, quality of life, and other things that may happen whilst I am asleep. Therefore, if possible, I will complete this questionnaire with the help of someone who can comment on what I do when I am asleep (i.e. A sleeping partner/parent/friend etc.).


Risks:
My participation in this study will entail that I volunteer information on my sleep, and this may cause me to feel emotional. I have received assurance from the researchers that every effort will be made to minimize these risks. My information will be anonymized and will not be released to anyone outside the research team.


Benefits:
There will be no immediate benefit to me. However, my participation will help researchers gain insight into protective factors and stressors involving sleep. We will gain insight into how academic schedules, such as pre-clerkship and clerkship, impact students' sleep quality.


Confidentiality and Privacy
I have received assurance from the researchers that the information I will share will remain strictly confidential. While names will not be collected, various demographic information will be collected. However, I understand that the contents will be used only for analyzing and determining the sleep quality of medical students and that my identity will be protected by anonymity. All published data will be presented in aggregated format. I can optionally provide my email address separately to be entered into a raffle for one of six $50 Amazon e-gift cards. Publications will only state the sites at which this study was conducted.

In order to minimize the risk of security breaches and to help ensure my confidentiality, it is recommended that I use standard safety measures, such as signing out of my account, closing my browser, and locking my device when I am no longer using it/when I have completed the study.


Conservation of Data:
The data collected, electronic survey datasets, will be kept in a secure manner stored in password-protected, encrypted storage (University OneDrive account) or transferred via unencrypted channels (e.g. via email). Data will only be accessible to individuals on the research team and will be destroyed/erased after 7 years.


Compensation:
I will have the option of providing my email address to be entered into a raffle for one of six $50 Amazon e-gift cards upon completion of the study. I will be contacted via email for the results of the raffle. I am still eligible for compensation even if I choose to withdraw from the study.


Voluntary Participation:
I am under no obligation to participate and if I choose to participate, I can withdraw from the study at any time and/or refuse to answer any questions, without suffering any negative consequences. While I may withdraw from the study at any time, once the survey is submitted, I will be unable to withdraw my data from the study as the researchers will be unable to retrace individual datasets.


Principle Investigator

Zoe Tsai, MD2026
University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine
zoe.tsai@uottawa.ca

Supervisors
Dr. Susan Humphrey-Murto,
Department of Medicine
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa
shumphrey@toh.ca

Dr. Laurel Charlesworth
Divisions of Neurology and Respirology
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa
lcharlesworth@toh.ca

McGill Principal Investigator
Dr. Beth-Ann Cummings
Institute of Health Sciences Education & Department of Medicine
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University
beth.cummings@mcgill.ca
If I have any questions about the study, I may contact the PI or their supervisors. The plan for this study has been reviewed for its adherence to ethical guidelines by the Research Ethics Board at McGill University. For questions regarding participant rights and ethical conduct of research, I can contact the Institutional Review Board at (514) 398-3124. If I have any questions regarding the ethical conduct of this study, I may contact the Office of Research Ethics and Integrity via email (ethics@uottawa.ca) or telephone (613-562-5387).

It is recommended that I save a copy of this consent form for my records.

Acceptance: By completing and returning the survey, I am consenting to participate in this research study.

Question Title

* 1. I consent to participate in this study:

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