Research Center for Overwork-Related Disorders, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Kawasaki, Japan.
Nursing Department, Kanto Rosai Hospital, Kawasaki, Japan.
Chronobiol Int. 2023 May;40(5):603-611. doi: 10.1080/07420528.2023.2193270. Epub 2023 Mar 27.
The cognitive ability to self-monitor one's current performance is important for hospital nurses to maintain safety and health. However, studies on the effects of rotating shift work on self-monitoring ability are insufficient. We examined the differences in self-monitoring accuracy across shifts in a rotating three-shift system among 30 female ward nurses (mean age 28.2 years). Their self-monitoring ability was calculated by subtracting the predicted reaction times of the psychomotor vigilance task performed just before exiting the workplace from the actual reaction times. A mixed-effect model was employed to assess the effects of shift, awake hours, and prior sleep duration on self-monitoring ability. We observed impaired self-monitoring ability in nurses, particularly after the night shift. Although actual performance remained high across all shifts, their self-predictions on reaction times became pessimistic in the night shift, resulting in a difference of approximately-100 msec. The effect of the shift on self-monitoring was obvious even after adjusting for sleep duration and hours awake. Our findings indicate that the misalignment between their working hours and circadian rhythms may affect even professional nurses. Occupational management that emphasizes maintaining circadian rhythms will improve the safety and health of nurses.
自我监测当前表现的认知能力对医院护士保持安全和健康很重要。然而，关于轮班工作对自我监测能力的影响的研究还不够充分。我们在一个 30 名女性病房护士的轮班三班次系统中，研究了在轮班中自我监测准确性的差异（平均年龄 28.2 岁）。通过从实际反应时间中减去在离开工作场所前进行的精神运动警觉任务的预测反应时间，计算了他们的自我监测能力。采用混合效应模型评估班次、清醒时间和先前睡眠时间对自我监测能力的影响。我们观察到护士的自我监测能力受损，尤其是在夜班后。尽管在所有班次中实际表现仍然很高，但他们在夜班时对反应时间的自我预测变得悲观，导致差异约为-100 毫秒。即使在调整了睡眠时间和清醒时间后，班次对自我监测的影响仍然很明显。我们的研究结果表明，工作时间和生物钟的不匹配可能会影响到专业护士。强调保持生物钟的职业管理将提高护士的安全性和健康状况。
