Investigation of the Combined Effects of workplace physical agents and shift work on Physiological parameters and blood factors in nurses

Abstract

Since nurses spend most of their working time indoors, the quality of the hospital environment has a great impact on their performance and comfort. The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effects of physical factors in the workplace and shift work on physiological parameters and blood factors in nurse staff of a specialty and sub-specialty hospital in Tehran. The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted on 300 nurses in a specialty and sub-specialty hospital in Tehran. In order to collect the data, a demographic questionnaire was used. The physical factors of the workplace were measured using the sound level meter, lux meter and WBGT meter. A digital blood pressure monitor and heart rate monitor were used to measure physiological parameters and Blood factors were collected from the results of medical records (blood CBC). Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS-20 software. The results showed that the level of sound in the workplace, as the most important physical factor, can increase the level of physiological factors, and the sound was the most effective factor in the investigation of combined effects. The results also showed that shift work has a great impact on physiological parameters. Blood factors and physiological parameters showed a significant difference between subjects with shift work and day work (P-value <0.05). Due to the importance of nurses' health as the main foundation of the health system, it is necessary to carry out intervention programs and more detailed studies and research on the combined effects of physical factors in the workplace by controlling lifestyle and genetics.

Keywords

• Shift work, Noise, Lighting, Thermal stress, Physiological parameters, Blood factors.