Aim: To compare the symptoms of fatigue and physiological indices in nurses who work during the day with nurses who work in shifts.
Method: One-hundred and seven nurses were recruited and asked to assess their symptoms of fatigue before their work commenced and after it finished.
Results: Using logistic regression analysis adjusted for covariates, it was found that nurses who work in shifts were more fatigued than nurses who work during the day (odds ratio = 2.44, P < 0.10). There was a significant difference regarding critical flicker fusion in the two groups of nurses (P = 0.032), and nurses who work in shifts had poorer physiological indices than nurses who work during the day.
Conclusion: It is clear that differing work schedules result in differing levels of fatigue, with shift work attributing to higher levels than day work.
Implications for nursing management: Nurse managers need to take into account the fatiguing effects of different work schedules when designing rostering patterns.
© 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.