Occupational injuries for consecutive and cumulative shifts among hospital registered nurses and patient care associates: a case-control study.
Authors
Hopcia-K; Dennerlein-JT; Hashimoto-D; Orechia-T; Sorensen-G
Source
Workplace Health Saf 2012 Oct; 60(10):437-444
Abstract
Nontraditional work shifts for hospital registered nurses and patient care associates and associated injuries were examined through a case-control study. Inpatient care requires that many staff work nontraditional shifts, including nights and 12-hour shifts, but some characteristics remain unexplored, especially consecutive shifts. A total of 502 cases (injured workers) were matched to single controls based on their hospital, unit type, job type, gender, and age (+/- 5 years). Conditional logistic regression was used for the analysis, controlling for weekly hours scheduled. For both, consecutive shifts of 2 or more days and some various cumulative shifts over a week and month period, especially night shifts, were associated with increased odds of injury. More investigations on the phenomenon of consecutive shifts are recommended. Additionally, the assessment of shift policy and subsequent injury outcomes is necessary before implementing intervention strategies.
Keywords
Shift-work; Nurses; Medical-facilities; Medical-personnel; Case-studies; Injuries; Health-care-personnel; Total-Worker-Health
Contact
Karen Hopcia, ScD, ANP-BC, Assistant Professor and Director, Occupational Health Nursing Program, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Nursing, Health Systems Science NURS 910, 845 S. Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60612
Document Type
Journal Article
Email Address
khopcia@uic.edu
Funding Type
Cooperative Agreement
Identifying No.
Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U19-OH-008861; B20130124
Source Name
Workplace Health & Safety
Performing Organization
Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
