AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To examine how shift work affects intensive care nurses' lives outside work.

BACKGROUND

Shift work is unavoidable for many nurses. When attempting to minimise negative effects of shift work, it is important to identify areas which affect nurses working shifts.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

METHODS

A questionnaire survey among Danish intensive care nurses concerning experiences with shift work and family life, spare time activities, sleep and health.

RESULTS

A total of 114 nurses (88%) participated. Shift work was found to influence the opportunities for spare time activities, and about 25% of both evening- and night-shift groups found that working shifts sometimes led to social isolation. A total of 58% of nurses working evening shifts sometimes to very often experienced having trouble falling asleep when working shifts. Night-shift workers had a higher percentage of physical and mental symptoms when working shifts compared with evening-shift workers, with mood swings and headaches being the most common. The median score for thriving on working shifts was 8 (IQR 5-9) for evening-shift workers and 8 (IQR 7-9) for night-shift workers (scale 0-10 with 10 being the highest level of thriving).

CONCLUSION

Shift workers reported that working shifts had a negative impact on life outside work. Opportunities for participating in spare time activities and difficulties falling asleep after shifts were the main issues for evening-shift workers, whereas physical symptoms such as headaches and mood swings were more dominant among night-shift workers. Despite the negative effects, the participants generally thrived on working shifts.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

By identifying modifiable areas which negatively influence life outside work when working shifts, it will be possible subsequently to plan interventions aimed at decreasing the negative effects. Interventions may include nurses having increased influence on their work schedules and education in sleep hygiene and dietary habits.