Describing objectively measured intensive care nurses' physical work activity behavioural patterns during a 12-hr...

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Nursing Science
• Human Movement Analysis

Background:

• Limited objective data exists on intensive care nurses' physical workloads.
• Accelerometry has been underutilized for analyzing nurses' physical activity patterns during shifts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify physical work activity patterns of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses over 12-hour shifts.
• To apply a job demands-recovery framework to understand nurses' physical exertion.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 102 ICU nurses in Auckland, New Zealand.
• Dual accelerometry (Axivity AX3) was used to measure physical activity during 12-hour day and night shifts.
• Online surveys collected demographic data; R and SPSS were used for analysis, adhering to STROBE guidelines.

Main Results:

• Nurses exhibited high levels of light-intensity activities (standing, dynamic standing, walking) throughout day shifts.
• Activity peaked early in shifts, with an additional midday peak for day shifts and an end-of-shift peak for night shifts.
• Night shifts showed more sitting and lying compared to day shifts, with significant differences in dynamic standing and lying between ICUs.

Conclusions:

• Intensive care nurses' work predominantly involves standing and dynamic standing during 12-hour shifts.
• The physical workload is significantly higher during day shifts compared to night shifts.
• Findings can inform managers about nurses' physical demands to optimize work conditions.