Preventing Shift Work Disorder in Shift Health-care Workers

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Sleep Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Shift Work Disorder (SWD) is a prevalent occupational health issue among 24/7 hospital healthcare workers (HCWs), particularly those on night shifts.
• Existing literature identifies SWD as a frequent work-related disturbance in HCWs.
• The Luxembourg Declaration promotes workplace health promotion (WHP) initiatives in the European Union.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a comprehensive WHP program in a large hospital setting.
• To prevent the occurrence of SWD in nurses working shifts, including night shifts.
• To assess the effectiveness of the WHP program in mitigating shift work risks and excessive sleepiness.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a WHP program with individual-oriented and organizational-oriented measures.
• Objective assessment of rotating shift work risk using the Rotating Shiftwork-questionnaire.
• Evaluation of excessive sleepiness using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale before and after program implementation.

Main Results:

• The implemented WHP program demonstrated effectiveness in minimizing the adverse health impacts of shift work.
• The program successfully prevented the misalignment between sleep-wake rhythm and shift working schedules.
• Significant reductions in rotating shift work risk and excessive sleepiness were observed post-implementation.

Conclusions:

• Workplace health promotion programs are effective in managing SWD in HCWs.
• Targeted interventions can mitigate the health consequences of shift work, including sleep disturbances.
• Hospital-based WHP programs are crucial for supporting the well-being of nurses on rotating shifts.