Nurs Econ
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Comparative Study
Shift work in nursing: is it really a risk factor for nurses' health and patients' safety?
There is evidence in the scientific literature of the adverse physiological and psychological effects of shift work, including disruption to biological rhythm, sleep disorders, health problems, diminished performance at work, job dissatisfaction, and social isolation. In this study, the results of health problems and sleep disorders between female and male nurses, between daytime and shift nurses, and between sleep-adjusted and non-sleep-adjusted shift nurses were compared. Also the relationship between adjustment to shift work and organizational outcomes (errors and incidents and absenteeism from work) was analyzed. ⋯ This research adds two additional findings to the field of shift work studies. The first finding is that female shift workers complain significantly more about sleep disorders than male shift workers. Second, although high rates of nurses whose sleep was not adapted to shift work were found, this did not have a more adverse impact on their health, absenteeism rates, or performance (reported errors and incidents), compared to their "adaptive" and "daytime" colleagues.
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A combination of factors has diluted the recruitment experience and created a confluence of elements similar to a perfect storm. Recruitment has morphed from a high-touch experience to a high-tech process. ⋯ The ideal recruitment scenario would be a marriage of high tech and high touch. We must drive the technology, not let the technology dictate our process.