title: Can nurses be employed in 12-hour shift systems?
abstract: Nurses are often obliged to work in a 12-hr shift work system. We have decided to check whether such a working system constitutes an excessive load for nurses. On the basis of a questionnaire survey among nurses working in an 8-hr daytime shift system (169 nurses) and in a 12-hr shift (536 nurses), the amount of physical workload, work stress, and after-work activities were compared. Data analysis has shown that a 12-hr shift system is characterized by less significant physical workload but greater mental load. The nurses working in a 2-shift system were more tired after work, but they could spend more time on leisure activities and do housework. The data suggest that there are no significant contraindications for nurses to work in a 2-shift system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Work Physiology and Ergonomics, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lódź, Poland. impx@porta.imp.lodz.pl
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Makowiec-Dabrowska
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Krawczyk-Adamus
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sprusińska
authors.forename: Z W
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Jóźwiak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology* / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011044:Poland; D020178:Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance; D016526:Workload