Smartphone-based home workout program for shift-work nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Health Promotion
• Digital Health

Background:

• Shift work poses significant health challenges for nurses, including sleep disturbance, fatigue, and musculoskeletal issues.
• Limited opportunities for physical activity due to demanding work schedules.
• Need for accessible and flexible exercise interventions for healthcare professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a smartphone-based home workout program for shift-work nurses.
• To assess the program's impact on nurses' physical and psychological health.
• To examine the program's effects on nursing performance.

Main Methods:

• Quasiexperimental study with a nonequivalent control group design.
• Intervention group used a smartphone home workout app for 18 weeks with counseling and environmental support.
• Control group received no intervention.

Main Results:

• The intervention group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in physical and psychological health compared to the control group.
• Positive trends observed in sleep quality, fatigue reduction, and resilience.
• No significant difference in nursing performance was reported in this study.

Conclusions:

• Smartphone-based home workout programs are effective in improving health outcomes for shift-work nurses.
• Such programs can help overcome common barriers to exercise in this population.
• Healthcare organizations should consider implementing digital health solutions to support nurse well-being.