The use of a pedometer to measure the physical activity during 12-hour shift of ICU and nurse anaesthetists in Poland

Nurses’ steps, distance traveled, and perceived physical demands in a three-shift schedule

“…Another previous study measured the walking distance of nurses during 10 h of work and showed a shorter measured value than the walking distance measured in this study [ 7 ]. However, the present study is consistent with earlier research in that it found a longer walking distance on the day shift than on the night shift [ 4 , 7 , 16 ]. In a previous study that measured physical activity in the general public, the average number of steps per day was 8385 steps for women in general and 8875 steps for women aged 20 to 39 [ 31 ].…”

“…Measurements of the number of steps and the distance traveled for three shifts were made for all nurses who participated in this study. Accordingly, it was possible to include data from the evening shift in the comparative analysis in this study, unlike previous studies [ 4 , 16 , 17 ]. In order to overcome the limitations of a previous study that used a pedometer [ 4 ], physical activity was measured using a reliable smart band [ 30 ] that was light enough for nurses to wear while working.…”

“…These previous studies [ 6 , 15 ] attempted to analyze the characteristics of nurses' shift work and physical activity using objective indicators, but it was not possible to investigate detailed aspects of the work content or intensity, such as nurse staffing or patients’ needs. In addition, most previous studies focused on comparing day and night shifts, without consideration of nurses’ 24-h, three-shift work nature [ 3 , 6 , 16 , 17 ].…”

Describing objectively measured intensive care nurses’ physical work activity behavioural patterns during a 12‐hr shift

“…A range of studies have used objective measurements to describe nurse physical activity during work hours (Hajo et al., 2020; Reed, Prince, et al, 2018; Schall, Fethke, & Chen, 2016), in leisure time (Loef et al., 2018; Reed, Cole, et al, 2018), and specifically in ICU clinical settings (Kwiecień‐Jaguś, Mędrzycka‐Dąbrowska, Czyż‐Szypenbeil, Lewandowska, & Ozga, 2019). The measurements for identifying ICU nurse physical work activity have included time‐motion analysis utilising an e‐ICU technology (Tang, Mazabob, Weavind, Thomas, & Johnson, 2006), a video‐based method (Fiedler, Weir, van Wyk, & Andrews, 2012), time‐tracking software (called Togg; de Campos, de Oliveira, & Perroca, 2018), and pedometers (Kwiecień‐Jaguś et al., 2019).…”

“…However, the study by Kwiecień‐Jaguś et al. (2019) concluded that nurses’ professional physical activity during a 12‐hr shift did not reach 10,000 steps per day, as recommended by the World Health Organization (Kwiecień‐Jaguś et al., 2019). Previous studies also found that nurses’ physical workloads varied between different types of shifts (Debergh et al., 2012; Nicoletti, Spengler, & Läubli, 2014).…”