Open AccessRotating shift work, sleep, and accidents related to sleepiness in hospital nurses.
Author(s) -
Diane R. Gold,
Suzanne Rogacz,
Naomi Bock,
Tor D. Tosteson,
Timothy M. Baum,
Frank E. Speizer,
Charles A. Czeisler
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.82.7.1011
Subject(s) - shift work , evening , odds , work (physics) , occupational safety and health , night work , sleep (system call) , psychology , odds ratio , medicine , medical emergency , psychiatry , logistic regression , engineering , mechanical engineering , physics , pathology , astronomy , computer science , operating system
A hospital-based survey on shift work, sleep, and accidents was carried out among 635 Massachusetts nurses. In comparison to nurses who worked only day/evening shifts, rotators had more sleep/wake cycle disruption and nodded off more at work. Rotators had twice the odds of nodding off while driving to or from work and twice the odds of a reported accident or error related to sleepiness. Application of circadian principles to the design of hospital work schedules may result in improved health and safety for nurses and patients.