Førte endringer i turnusplan under COVID-19-pandemien til søvnproblemer og intensjon om jobbskifte hos skiftarbeidene sykepleiere?

Forskere fra Universitetet i Bergen, Folkehelseinstituttet og Nasjonal kompetansetjeneste for søvnsykdommer har i denne studien undersøkt om endringer i turnusplanen til skiftarbeidene sykepleiere under COVID-19-pandemien var assosiert med endring i søvnlengde, søvnkvalitet og intensjon om jobbskifte. 694 skiftarbeidene sykepleiere ble inkludert i studien, og de svarte på spørreskjema mellom første og andre bølge av covid-19-pandemien. Endringer i turnusplan som lange arbeidsdager, færre fridager mellom arbeidsperioder, flere nattskift, flere quick returns og flere dag og kveldsvakter ble sammenlignet med sykepleiere med turnusplan uten endringer. Endring i turnusplan knyttet til pandemien var assosiert med dårligere søvnkvalitet, redusert søvnlengde, og intensjon om jobbskifte. Økning i antall av quick returns hadde negativ innvirkning på søvnkvalitet og forsterket intensjon om jobbskifte, og lange arbeidsdager var assosiert med intensjon om jobbskifte.

Publisert 19.08.2022

Changes in the Work Schedule of Nurses Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Relationship with Sleep and Turnover Intention

Ingebjørg Louise Rockwell Djupedal, Ståle Pallesen, Anette Harris, Siri Waage, Bjørn Bjorvatn, Øystein Vedaa

Studien er publisert i International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Background: This study aimed to investigate whether different types of changes in the work schedule of nurses working rotating shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with sleep duration, sleep quality, and turnover intention.

Methods: Cross-sectional questionnaire data from 694 nurses participating in the SUrvey of Shift work, Sleep and Health (SUSSH) were collected between the first and the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway. A total of 89.9% were female, and mean age was 44.6 years (SD = 8.6 years). Changes in the shift work schedule related to the pandemic comprised reports of more long workdays (>8 h), less days off between work periods, more night shifts, more quick returns (i.e., 11 h or less between two consecutive shifts), more day shifts, and more evening shifts compared to no change in the respective shift characteristics. Change in sleep duration, sleep quality, and turnover intention as well as demographics were also assessed. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate whether changes in the specific work schedules were associated with sleep duration, sleep quality, and turnover intention, controlling for sex, age, cohabitation, children living in household, percentage of full time equivalent and other changes in the work schedule.

Results: A total of 17% reported experiencing one or more changes in their work schedule during the pandemic. Experiencing any change in the work schedule predicted worse sleep quality (OR = 2.68, p < 0.001), reduced sleep duration (OR = 4.56, p < 0.001), and higher turnover intention (OR = 1.96, p = 0.006) compared to experiencing no change in work schedule. Among the specific changes in work schedules, experiencing an increase in quick returns had the highest odds ratio for worse sleep quality (OR = 10.34, p = 0.007) and higher turnover intention (OR = 8.49, p = 0.014) compared to those who reported no change in quick returns. Nurses experiencing an increase in long workdays were more likely to report higher turnover intention (OR = 4.37, p = 0.003) compared to those experiencing no change in long workdays.

Conclusions: Change in work schedule related to the pandemic was associated with worse sleep quality, reduced sleep duration, and higher turnover intention. Increase in quick returns emerged as especially problematic in terms of sleep quality and turnover intention, along with long workdays, which were associated with higher turnover intention.