Shift work disorder and its related factors among health-care workers in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangalore, India

Background & Objective: Shift work disorder is the presence of excessive day time sleepiness and insomnia affecting people whose work hours overlap with the typical sleep period. Shift work has pronounced effect on physical and mental health of an individual. Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of symptoms of shift work disorder and the factors associated with it among hospital staff in a tertiary care hospital in Bangalore, India.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a private teaching tertiary hospital among 318 hospital workers in Bangalore during September to December 2015. Stratified random sampling method was used and the study population was divided into five strata based upon their parent department. Socioeconomic details, work profile and standard tools– Insomnia severity index, The Epworth sleepiness scale and the FACIT fatigue scale were used.

Results: Of the 318 workers, 290 (91.2%) were females, between 21-25 years of age. Most had work experience of ≤4 years (77.6%). Insomnia was reported among 39.9%, and fatigue among 4.7% of hospital staff. Around 19.8% staff had excessive daytime sleepiness out of which 2.8% warranted medical attention.

Conclusion: Periodic screening during annual medical check-ups and health education on practicing good sleep hygiene will help address this important issue of shift work disorders among workers.