Comparison of shift work and night shifts: impacts on health and wellbeing among sanitary workers

• Published in: Giornale italiano di medicina del lavoro ed ergonomia Vol. 33; no. 3 Suppl; p. 330
• Main Authors: Della Betta, F, Martinellit, R, Del Re, C, Tarquini, M, Fantasia, D, Paoletti, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Italian
• Published: Italy 01-07-2011
• Subjects: Adult; Female; Health Personnel; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Health; Work Schedule Tolerance; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1592-7830

The generally agreed view is that there is no ideal shift system, and that most systems will have both advantages and disadvantages. As such, attention has been placed on trying to identify good and bad features of shift systems, with a view to minimising the possible ill health as a consequence of shiftwork. The present study focuses on the quality of the shift and looks at the implications for individual health and wellbeing, during the wellbeing, during the shift. Three groups of sanitary workers, one working in the morning, one working two shifts, and the other working three, took part. All completed a version of the standard shiftwork index (SSI), a set of self reported questionnaires related to health and wellbeing. The three groups differed on many outcome measures, although the differences that did exist didn't suggested advantages for one shift system over the others.