Sleep Disorders and Occupational Accident in Shift Work Nurses

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of symptoms of sleep related breathing disorders in shiftwork nurses and to evaluate relationship between occupational accident and the symptoms. Material and Method:Data of 410 nurses was evaluated. A questionnaire was administered to get information on their socio-demographic data, presence of witnessed apnea during sleep, the prevalence of snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness and frequency of other symptoms and having any occupational accident. Results:The prevalence of habitual snoring, witnessed apnea, excessive daytime sleepiness was 5.4%, 22.4%, 47.1% respectively. Snoring (p<0.001) and witnessed apnea (p<0.001) prevalence was higher in overweight nurses. Mean values of the body mass index (p<0.001), neck circumflex (p=0.03), co-morbid disease (p<0.001) and the prevalence of witnessed apnea (p<0.001) among the nurses with habitual snoring were statistically higher than the nurses without habitual snoring. 51 nurses (12.4%) had been involved in an occupational accident. The prevalence of snoring (p=0.008) and mean Epworth Sleepiness Score (ESS) were higher than the group without accidents. The ESS was higher than 10 points in 63 (15.4%) of the interviews. In this group occupational accident prevalence was 4.1 times higher than the group with less than 10 points ESS. Conclusion:We come to the conclusion that interrogating the sleep related disorders symptoms in adults and also performing diagnostic procedures and treatment in case of suspicion may decrease the morbidity of sleep related breathing disorders.

Factors affecting the occupational accident rates among nurses

“…In the literature, insufficient sleep durations caused by working in shifts and circadian rhythm disorders have been reported to cause excessive daytime sleepiness (7) . In two similar studies, sleeplessness problems in nurses working in night shifts was reported (27) , while the inclination for sleep during work was found to be greater in workers working in shifts compared to those who worked during the day (9) . In this study, the ESS scores were higher in the nurses working in shifts.…”

“…Although the daily sleep durations of the participants, who had difficult employment conditions, seemed sufficient, the fact that a large majority (65.7%) had a desire to sleep during the day can be seen as an important problem. Excessive daytime sleepiness is another important symptom of sleep disorders (9) . The Epworth Sleepiness Scale is a subjective tool for measuring sleepiness.…”

“…The incidence of occupational accidents and other accident types increases as a result of sleeplessness and sleep related disorders. The sleepiness seen in those who work in shifts has been reported to increase the risk of accidents (7,9) . A study conducted in Sweden stressed that excessive daytime sleepiness was related to occupational accidents, determined working in shifts as an independent risk factor for occupational accidents, and revealed the risk of occupational accidents to be 2.2 times greater in those with snoring problems (28) .…”

“…In the literature, it has been stated that occupational accidents are seen more especially in nurses working in shifts, with problems such as sleep disorders, gastrointestinal system disorders, and depression (7,9) . In a study including 10,793 people from the USA, exhibited that, after standardizing for age, gender, occupation, area of residence, and sector of employment, those who worked overtime had a 61% higher risk of occupational accidents compared to those who did not, and that working 12 hours a day increased the risk by 37% (10) .…”

The effect of shift-working conditions of nurses on health

“…The most important of these problems is the problem of sleep. It was found that there was a significant relationship between sleepiness and work accidents [3]. Working time at the workplace and the frequency and duration of rest periods are highly influential on the physical and mental balance of employees [4].…”