• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.390-395
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• 2021

Background: Health-care providers typically undergo shift work and are subjected to increased stress. Night shift work may induce disturbed sleep cycles and circadian rhythm. The objective of this study was to explore if night shift workers (NSWs) show an increased risk of abnormal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 574 employees without thyroid disease and abnormal TSH at baseline who underwent annual check-ups between 2007 and 2016 in a medical center. NSWs were defined as those with working time schedules other than daytime hours. We calculated the incidence rate and estimated the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for incident abnormal TSH and subclinical hypothyroidism compared with non-NSWs using a Cox regression model. Results: A total of 56 incident abnormal TSH cases and 39 subclinical hypothyroidism cases in NSWs were identified during 3000 person-years of follow-up. In models adjusted for age, sex, obesity, and working departments, we found no increased relative risk for incident abnormal TSH (HR: 0.72, 95% confidence interval: 0.33-1.60) or subclinical hypothyroidism (HR: 0.52, 95% confidence interval: 0.19-1.45) when comparing NSWs to non-NSWs; nor were incidence rates significantly different among exclusively medical employees after excluding administrative staff. Conclusion: In this hospital-based nine-year follow-up retrospective cohort study, NSWs were not associated with increased relative risk of incident abnormal TSH and subclinical hypothyroidism, in contrast to previous cross-sectional studies.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.7
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• pp.295-304
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• 2021

This study is a secondary data analysis to investigate the nursing tasks performance, appropriate performer, and job satisfaction in the general wards with sift work. We found that nurses performed direct (45%) and indirect nursing (55%). The workload per shift was 37.2% in the day, 35.6% in the evening, and 27.2% at night. The tasks performed after handover were 'direct nursing (34.5%)' and 'documentation and notification (25.8%)'. Nurses responded that there were some tasks that could be delegated to nursing assistants or had ambiguous boundaries with other medical personnel. There was a significant correlation between compliance to the job description of the night shift and job satisfaction (rs=.43, p=.01). These results imply that it is necessary to establish strategies that will enhance work efficiency based on job analysis by shift work, reduce handover time using EMR system, stmart devices, and clarify appropriate performers.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.5-15
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to compare the sleep and fatigue between groups with two shift and three shift nurses. A total of 14 nurses working in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit(NIC) were included with the seven for two shifts and the other seven for three shifts. Data were collected by Korean version of sleep tool(Oh et al., 1998) and fatigue symptom tool(Kim et al., 2001) and analyzed using SPSS PC 12.0. The results of the study were as follows: 1) There was statistically a significant difference in the number of total sleep hour and no difference in fatigue between groups. 2) There were no significant differences found in both sleep and fatigue by demographic characteristics between groups. 3) There were no correlations between sleep and fatigue in both groups. Through the further future studies, the findings of this study were expected to provide an opportunities for exploring the information on 2-shift nurses as well as 3-shift nurses and to offer the fundamental data on an arrangement of work force according to the types of shift work.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.197-204
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• 2002

Objectives : To evaluate the association between working conditions and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Korea. Methods : We obtained data on health history, lifestyle, housework and Working conditions, such as shift work, hours standing, working time, job demand, lifting at work and at home, between August and September 2000, from self-reported questionnaires. A group of 344, occupationally active, pregnant women from 51 industries were studied. Of the women studied, 328 women were further interviewed by telephone between November 2000 and September 2001. Result : Compared with daytime work, shift work increased the risk for preform birth (an adjusted risk ratio of 2.74, 95% CI=1.02-2.62) and low birth weight (an adjusted risk ratio of 2.74,95% CI=1.02-2.02). A significantly increased risk was found for prolonged standing, with an adjusted risk ratio of preform births of 6.80 (95% CI=2.01-23.0). There were no significant differences in the incidence of spontaneous abortion between the occupational working conditions, with the enception of a previous history of spontaneous abortion. Conclusion : These findings suggest that maternal working conditions, such as shift work and prolonged standing, contribute significantly to preterm birth and low birth weight.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.175-180
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• 2014

Wet-work can be defined as activities where workers have to immerse their hands in liquids for >2 hours per shift, or wear waterproof (occlusive) gloves for a corresponding amount of time, or wash their hands >20 times per shift. This review considers the recent literature on wet-work exposure, and examines wet-work as a main risk factor for developing irritant contact dermatitis of the hands. The aim of this paper is to provide a detailed description of wet-work exposure among specific occupational groups who extensively deal with water and other liquids in their occupations. Furthermore, it highlights the extent and importance of the subsequent adverse health effects caused by exposure to wet-work.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.546-559
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• 2016

This study was conducted to analyze the relationship between sleep quality, stress response, physical activity and sleep hygiene in shift work nurses and identify factors influencing sleep quality. The participants were 168 shift nurses from university hospitals and general hospitals located in C city, Gyeongnam. Data were collected from March 25 to 31, 2016. The study instrument use to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Stress Response Inventory, Korean version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form and Sleep Hygiene Scale. Date were analyzed by frequency, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation and hierarchical multiple regression using SPSS/win18.0. The sleep quality index was 7.35 (range 0-21), stress response was 2.20 (range 1-5), physical activity was 3986MET-min/week, and sleep hygiene was 2.73 (range 1-6 points). There were significant differences in sleep quality according to shift work experience, health status and circadian rhythm type. Factors influencing sleep quality included shift work experience, sleep hygiene, stress response and physical activity, which together explained 40% of the total variance of sleep quality. Therefore, it is recommended that sleep hygiene education be implemented as a strategy to reduce stress response, and that shift work nurses engage in a moderate level of physical activity to improve their sleep quality.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.129-149
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• 1991

Circadian rhythm is entrained in the 24-hour time interval by periodic factors in the environment, known as zeitgeber. But most rotating work schedules are outside the range of the entrainment of the pacemaker timing the human circadian sleep - wake cycle. It has been postulated that physiological and emotional disturbances occur in most human functions when the circadian rhythm is disturbed. So application of circadian principles to the design of shift schedules can aid in maintaining the temporal integrity of the circadian system and thereby minimize for the shift worker any detrimental consequences of circadian disruption. This study was a quasi-experimental study to test the effect of shift intervals for the clinical nurse on the circadian rhythm. Twenty nurses newly employed in general units of two hospitals were selected as an experimental group and twelve college nursing students as a control group. Both groups were selected according to an established criteria using a purposive sampling technique. Ten subjects were assigned to a weekly shift group and another ten to a biweekly shift group engaged in a semi -continuous shift schedule(sunday off) with a backward direction, that is, morning -evening - night shift. The control group worked a morning shift for 42 days. Oral temperature rhythm, waking tim, sleep - wake cycle, fatigue, and mental performance were measured during the experimental period. The data collection period was from April 30, 1990 to June 10, 1990. MANOVA, paired t-test, ANOVA, and Student Newman Keuls method were used for statistical analysis. The results are summarized as follows. 1. Phase delay in the acrophase of temperature rhythm was shown according to the backward rotating shift. A complete adaptation to work on the night shift was achieved between the sixth and ninth day of the night shift. 2. There was no difference in either waking time or sleep- wake cycle according to the duration of the working day for every shift group. Significant difference was found in the waking time and the sleep -wake cycle for subjects on the morning, evening, and night shift in both of the shift groups(weekly shift group : λ＝0.121, p＜0.01, λ＝0.112, p＜0.01, biweekly shift group : λ＝0.116, p＜0.01, λ＝0.084, p＜0.01). 3. There was no difference in fatigue between the first working day and the last working day for the control group and for the biweekly shift group. In the weekly shift group, physical fatigue was significantly different for the first day and the sixth day of the night shift(t＝-2.28, p＜0.05). Physical fatigue and total fatigue on the first day of the night shift showed a significant difference among the control group, the weekly shift group, and the biweekly shift group(F＝5.79, p＜0.01, F＝4.56, p＜0.05). There was a significant difference between the shift groups and the control group(p＜0.05), Physical fatigue, neurosensory fatigue and total fatigue on the last day of the night shift showed a significant difference among the control group, the weekly shift group, and the biweekly shift group(F＝12.65, p＜0.01, F＝7.77, p＜0.01, F＝9.68, p＜0.01). There was a significant difference between the shift groups and the control group(p＜0.05). 4. No difference in mental performance was seen between the first day and the last day of work in each case. An arithmatic test on the first day of the night shift revealed a significant difference among the control group, the weekly shift group, and the biweekly shift group(F＝3.79, p＜0.05). There was a significant difference between the shift groups and the control group(p＜0.05) . The digital symbol substitution test and the arithmetic test on the last day of the night shift showed a significant difference among the control group, the weekly shift group, and the biweekly shift group(F＝3.68, p＜0.05, F＝5.55, p＜0.01), and both showed a significant difference between the shift groups and the control group(p＜0.05). Accordingly, this study showed that during night duty, the waking time, sleep- wake cycle, and fatigue increased and mental performance decreased compared with morning and evening duty. It was also found that the weekly shift group had a higher fatigue score on the sixth day of night duty as compared to the -first day, but the waking time, sleep- wake cycle, and mental performance revealed no difference for the duration of the night duty or between shift groups, and complete adaptation of temperature rhythm was achieved between the sixth and ninth day of night duty. It is possible to conclude from these results that for intermediate circadian type in a healthy young woman, a biweekly shift system is more compatible with the circadian timing system than weekly shift system.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.252-264
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• 2018

Purpose: To understand the essentials of rearing conflict experience by three shift nurses in advanced general hospitals. Methods: The design was a qualitative research of phenomenology. Participants were 7 shift nurses working in advanced general hospitals who were rearing young children. Data were collected individually through in-depth interview on their life experiences. Data were analyzed by Colaizzi's phenomenological methodology. Results: Eighteen themes were drawn from 256 meaningful experiences and these themes were integrated to six theme clusters. The most influencing themes were 'Regret that I cannot satisfy even the slightest wish', 'Fail to care for kids', and 'Mutual feeling to care giver between appreciation and inconvenience'. Other themes were as follows: 'Body and mind are broken', 'The need for a three-shift system to support nurses who are rearing children', 'Doing my best for work and child rearing'. Conclusion: The nature of three-shift nurses working in advanced hospital and caring kids is explained as 'lives with conflict' between work and home. This study suggests it is necessary to establish a 24-hour care center for 3-shift nurses to keep working while rearing their children.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.113-127
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• 2021

Purpose: This study examined health behaviors, use of health services, and depression among women who perform daytime and shift work in Korea, as well as factors related to depression. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis using data from the 2018 data of the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Data on women, 1,493 regular daytime workers and 322 shift workers, were analyzed. Results: Women shift workers (χ²=43.97, p<.001), had a lower education level (χ²=45.56, p<.001), and lower personal income (χ²=16.85, p=.030) than their daytime counterparts. A higher proportion of shift workers were unmarried (χ²=37.47, p<.001) and they typically worked fewer than 40 hours per week (χ²=69.94, p<.001). The depression score of shift workers was higher than that of daytime workers (t=2.85, p=.005). A higher proportion of shift workers also drank alcohol (χ²=6.49, p=.032) and smoked (χ²=30.79, p<.001). Over 8% of shift workers typically slept fewer than 5 hours per night (χ²=14.17, p=.024). It was confirmed that depression in women shift workers was affected by age, personal income, marital status, health status, and smoking status, in addition to cancer screening participation, unmet medical care needs, and unmet dental care needs. Conclusion: More attention should be given to the health needs of women working shifts. Health promotion programs specific for women shift workers are needed to improve their physical and mental health, encourage use of medical care services, and improve public health policies and systems.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.25 no.4 s.40
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• pp.374-385
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• 1992

Some circadian rhythms can become disorgnized due to rotating shift work. This lack of organization, termed desynchronization, can produce a group of symptoms such as insomnia, GI disturbance and fatigue among many rotating shift workers. The magnitude of these symptoms are influenced by personal and environmental factors and the patterns of shift work. This study was carried out to investigate the subjective symptoms related to rotational schedules of shift work after personal and environmental factors adjusted. 182 male workers in rapidly rotating shift system and 86 male workers in weekly rotating shift system were conducted the questionnaire on personal factors and subjective sleep, GI and fatigue symptoms. Major findings obtained from this study are as follows: 1. The symptoms of 'feeling tired at work' and 'being irritable' were more frequent in weekly rotating shift workers (P<0.05), and the mean of symptom score was significantly higher in weekly rotating shift workers(P<0.01). 2. According to 6 hours of sleeping which is a definite elevation point of fatigue, there was not a significant difference between two groups in sleeping hours. Among workers in rapidly rotating shift system, the mean of symptom score was significatly higher in workers of less than 6 hours of sleeping(P<0.05), but it was not different among weekly rotating shift workers. 3. The symptoms of GI disturbance were more frequent in weekly rotating shift workers but statistically not significant. 4. The positive rate of mental and physical fatigue symptoms were significantly higher in weekly rotating shift workers(P<0.01) and mental and physical fatigue symptoms were more frequent in them (P<0.01). 5. After the effect of the factors that were significantly different between two groups by $X^2-test$ were controlled, the mean score of sleep disturbance was significantly higher in weekly rotating shift workers (P<0.01) and mental physical fatigue symptoms were more frequent in them (P<0.01). Based on these study results, subjective symptoms were more common in the weekly rotating shift workers. In future, medical examination and laboratory test will be also administered to evaluate a more accurate health outcomes and the review of current shift schedules will be required.