• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 2020

Purpose : The aim of this study was to compare shift satisfaction, sleep, fatigue, quality of life (QOL), and patient safety incidents between a newly implemented two-shift system and a traditional three-shift system. Methods : A total of 127 intensive care unit nurses (48 two-shift nurses and 79 three-shift nurses) working in a tertiary hospital in Seoul were recruited from January 1, 2017, to March 31, 2017. They completed a self-reported questionnaire about their work hours, shift satisfaction, sleep patterns, sleep quality, fatigue, QOL, and patient safety incidents in the past 2 weeks. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. Results : The two-shift group showed higher shift satisfaction scores compared with the three-shift group (6.93 vs. 4.37, p<.001). Sleep latency was shorter and sleep quality was better in the two-shift group compared with the three-shift group. There were no significant differences in other sleep parameters, fatigue, QOL, and patient safety incidents between the two groups. Conclusion : Although a two-shift system did not improve nurses' fatigue or QOL in this study, it may effectively serve as an alternative shift-work system that can increase sleep quality and shift satisfaction without increasing patient safety incidents.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.323-329
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to investigate the level of depression among female hospital nurses and the influence of rotating shift work and quality of sleep on depression. A total of 295 nurses in Seoul were recruited and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The number of depressed nurses was 71.2%(CES-D total score ≥ 16) and factors influenced on nurses' depression were quality of sleep, rotating shift work, and work experience in nursing(1-2.9 years, more than 10 years). Based on the result of this study, nurse managers and hospital organization should use appropriate interventions to improve quality of sleep and negative effects of rotating shift work for nurses.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.49-57
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the meaning of job experiences of fixed night shift nurses participating in a pilot project by a tertiary hospital, and to provide basic information for improving their night shift working environment. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted using individual interviews in September 2022. Three female nurses who worked fixed night shifts were recruited from a tertiary hospital. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Results: By analyzing the meaning of job experience as a fixed night shift nurse, four categories and nine subcategories were identified. The four categories of job experience of fixed night shift nurses were: expecting an improvement physical health due to predictable working hours, enjoying leisure time due to long off-duty hours, regretting for loosened relationships, and considering a successful settlement of fixed night shift nursing. Conclusion: As night shift work is essential for nurses to provide continuous nursing to patients, it is necessary to develop various strategies to improve the physical health of night shift nurses through fatigue management and good sleep quality, mental health through work-life harmony, and social health through intimate relationships between patients and coworkers.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.119-128
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• 2021

This study was performed to improve the working conditions of female nurses by comparing their organizational commitment and turnover intention according to the type of work shift they prefer. This study is a descriptive survey study, and data were collected by conducting an online survey of 465 female nurses working in three shifts at seven medical institutions. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS WIN 24.0 in a χ² test, a two-sample independent t-test, a pearson correlation and MANCOVA. The result shows that the group of nurses preferring fixed work shift had higher organizational commitment at higher ages and had higher turnover intention if they had an experience of transferring to another medical institution. The study also found that the group that prefers fixed work shift had lower organizational commitment and higher turnover intention than the group of nurses preferring shift work. The nursing department in hospital should strive to improve the working environment in female nurses by developing various types of work, with an aim to increase the organizational commitment of female nurses preferring fixed work and reduce their turnover.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.25-29
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• 2015

Background: Shift work has been associated with occupational stress in health providers and in those working in some industrial companies. The association is not well established in the law enforcement workforce. Our objective was to examine the association between shift work and police work-related stress. Methods: The number of stressful events that occurred in the previous month and year was obtained using the Spielberger Police Stress Survey among 365 police officers aged 27-66 years. Work hours were derived from daily payroll records. A dominant shift (day, afternoon, or night) was defined for each participant as the shift with the largest percentage of total time a participant worked (starting time from 4:00 AM to 11:59 AM, from 12 PM to 7:59 PM, and from 8:00 PM to 3:59 AM for day, afternoon, and night shift, respectively) in the previous month or year. Analysis of variance and covariance were used to examine the number of total and subscale (administrative/professional pressure, physical/psychological danger, or organizational support) stressful events across the shift. Results: During the previous month and year, officers working the afternoon and night shifts reported more stressful events than day shift officers for total stress, administrative/professional pressure, and physical/psychological danger (p < 0.05). These differences were independent of age, sex, race/ethnicity, and police rank. The frequency of these stressful events did not differ significantly between officers working the afternoon and night shifts. Conclusion: Non-day shift workers may be exposed to more stressful events in this cohort. Interventions to reduce or manage police stress that are tailored by shift may be considered.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.102-109
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• 2024

Background: In today's modern world, longer working hours, shift work, and working at night have become major causes of the disruption of our natural circadian rhythms. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the type of shift work (rotating vs. fixed day), duty period (on-duty vs. off-duty), and working period within each shift (nighttime vs. daytime) on the circadian rhythm characteristics of nurses who provide direct patient care. Methods: This cross-sectional study used a purposive sampling method. Cosinor analysis was applied to analyze the actigraphy data of nurses providing direct patient care for seven consecutive days. The linear mixed effects model was then used to determine any variances between shift type, duty period, and working period within each shift for the nurses. Results: The mesor value did not differ according to nurses' shift type, duty period, and working period within each shift. The amplitude was statistically higher in on-duty nurses and in daytime working hours. The acrophase was significantly delayed in nighttime working hours. As well as nurses in rotating shift had experience. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that the peak activity of nurses occurs significantly later at night while working and nurses working during nighttime hours may have a weaker or less distinct circadian rhythm. Thus, this study suggests that limits be placed on the number of rotating nighttime shifts for nurses.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.111-119
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• 2016

Background: Shift work and/or sleep quality may affect health. We investigated whether shift work and sleep quality, separately and jointly, were associated with abnormal levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol (TC), and low-and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in 360 police officers (27.5% women). Methods: Triglycerides, TC, and high-density lipoprotein were analyzed on the Abbott Architect; low-density lipoprotein was calculated. Shift work was assessed using City of Buffalo payroll work history records. Sleep quality (good, ${\leq}5$; intermediate, 6-8; poor, ${\geq}9$) was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire. A shift work + sleep quality variable was created: day plus good sleep; day plus poor sleep; afternoon/night plus good; and poor sleep quality. Mean values of lipid biomarkers were compared across categories of the exposures using analysis of variance/analysis of covariance. Results: Shift work was not significantly associated with lipids. However, as sleep quality worsened, mean levels of triglycerides and TC gradually increased but only among female officers (age- and race-adjusted p = 0.013 and 0.030, respectively). Age significantly modified the association between sleep quality and TC. Among officers ${\geq}40$ years old, those reporting poor sleep quality had a significantly higher mean level of TC ($202.9{\pm}3.7mg/dL$) compared with those reporting good sleep quality ($190.6{\pm}4.0mg/dL$) (gender- and race-adjusted p = 0.010). Female officers who worked the day shift and also reported good sleep quality had the lowest mean level of TC compared with women in the other three categories (p = 0.014). Conclusion: Sleep quality and its combined influence with shift work may play a role in the alteration of some lipid measures.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.297-309
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• 2024

This study aimed to understand shift-working married female nurses' the experience of work-family balance and the special situational context of shift work. Interviews were conducted with 10 married female nurses working shifts to explore their in-depth inner lives, and the collected data were analyzed by Giorgi's phenomenological method. As a result of the analysis, a total of 120 semantic units, 16 sub-components, and 5 components of 'recognition of the reality of work-family balance due to shift work', 'difficulty of work-family balance', 'motor of work-family balance', 'satisfaction factor in job performance', and 'challenges to be solved' were found. This study was significant in that it provides empirical evidence for the development of sophisticated strategies to reconcile work-family life for working-shift married female nurses, through an in-depth exploration of their experiences in work-life balance.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.23 no.57
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• pp.1-10
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• 2000

The purpose of this paper is to propose a method of rest to reduce work load of night shift workers for night shift work. The experiment was carried out 10minutes preparing time, 45minutes first work, 10minutes first rest, 45minutes second work, 10minutes second rest between 2 and 4 o'clock that the lowest physiological function of workers. The methods of rest set up as four patterns (1) non-action rest (2) non-action rest + listening music (3) action rest + non-action rest, (4) action rest + non-action rest + listening music. For the measurements of experiment, heart rates(R-R interval), critical flicker fusion frequency(CFF), blood pressure, oral temperature, reaction time and error rates were considered as criteria for work performance. As a result, action rest + non-action rest and action rest + non-action rest + listening music were more effective to reduce work load additional work than non-action rest and non-action rest + listening music.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2011

The knowledge on the etiology of breast cancer has advanced substantially in recent years, and several etiological factors are now firmly established. However, very few new discoveries have been made in relation to occupational risk factors. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has evaluated over 900 different exposures or agents to-date to determine whether they are carcinogenic to humans. These evaluations are published as a series of Monographs (www.iarc.fr). For breast cancer the following substances have been classified as "carcinogenic to humans" (Group 1): alcoholic beverages, exposure to diethylstilbestrol, estrogen-progestogen contraceptives, estrogen-progestogen hormone replacement therapy and exposure to X-radiation and gamma-radiation (in special populations such as atomic bomb survivors, medical patients, and in-utero exposure). Ethylene oxide is also classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, although the evidence for carcinogenicity in epidemiologic studies, and specifically for the human breast, is limited. The classification "probably carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2A) includes estrogen hormone replacement therapy, tobacco smoking, and shift work involving circadian disruption, including work as a flight attendant. If the association between shift work and breast cancer, the most common female cancer, is confirmed, shift work could become the leading cause of occupational cancer in women.