Ricerc@Sapienza

BACKGROUND: Although some studies have detailed consequences of shift work in nurses concerning general health, fatigue, sleepiness, or medical errors, only one study has been carried out in Italian healthcare comparing the effects of sleepiness and fatigue associated to shift work to the attentional performance of nurses. In this pilot study, we showed that night shifts are associated with significant greater sleepiness and tiredness, and worsened attentional performance (Di Muzio et al., 2019).

AIMS: The aim of the project will be to extend and replicate findings of our pilot study and assess the levels of psychomotor vigilance fatigue and sleepiness across nursing 8-h rapidly rotating work shifts, in order to highlight a potential level of risk associated with a specific work shift. This evaluation will be performed using a within-subject design and using the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), which is the most recognized measure of sustained vigilance. We will also evaluate if differences in attentional performance are modulated by the presence/absence of sleep disorders, and by age and years on the job.
According to our hypothesis, differences between different shifts will be associated to the presence of sleep disorders, as assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

METHODS Morning, afternoon, and night shifts will be compared with respect the presence of tiredness, sleepiness, and performance at the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) in a sample of 80 nurses working in 8-h rapidly rotating pattern. Subsequently, a within-subject Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), Gender x Shift (M vs. A vs. N), Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), considering Age and Years on the job as covariates, will assess the effect of shifts on the sustained attention. Finally, the sample will be divided as a function of the presence/absence of sleep problems as measured by the PSQI, and the effect of shift will be separately evaluated in the two groups.