Volume 30, Issue 2 pp. 463-472
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Work schedule characteristics and occupational fatigue/recovery among rotating-shift nurses: A cross-sectional study

Ari Min PhD, RN

Ari Min PhD, RN

Assistant Professor

Department of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea

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Hye Chong Hong PhD, RN

Corresponding Author

Hye Chong Hong PhD, RN

Assistant Professor

Department of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea

Correspondence

Hye Chong Hong, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Bldg 106, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, South Korea.

Email: [email protected]

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Young Man Kim PhD, RN

Young Man Kim PhD, RN

Assistant Professor

College of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, South Korea

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First published: 15 November 2021
Citations: 20

Funding information: National Research Foundation of Korea, Grant/Award Number: 2018R1D1A1B07042018

Abstract

Aims

To determine the effects of work schedule characteristics on occupational fatigue and recovery among rotating-shift nurses in South Korea.

Background

Understanding the effects of work schedule characteristics on occupational fatigue is important to prevent adverse nurse outcomes and to ensure patient safety.

Methods

This study used secondary data analysis with a cross-sectional design. Data were collected on 436 rotating-shift nurses in 2018. Nurses' occupational fatigue and recovery were measured using the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion/Recovery Scale. We used quantile regression models.

Results

The scores for acute and chronic fatigue and intershift recovery were 70.40, 73.39, and 29.82, respectively. Overtime hours, number of night shifts, number of consecutive days off, and breaks were significant influential factors in some quantiles of acute fatigue, chronic fatigue, and intershift recovery, while total working hours was only associated with chronic fatigue in the 25th quantile.

Conclusions

The quantile and linear regression models revealed different results for work schedule factors that affect occupational fatigue and intershift recovery among rotating-shift nurses.

Implication for Nursing Management

These findings have important implications for developing targeted strategies and policies to reduce occupational fatigue and improve intershift recovery for rotating-shift nurses with different levels of occupational fatigue and recovery.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

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