Relationship of Shift Work to Gastrointestinal Disorders in Hospital Nurses

Background: This study researched the relationship between shift work and one of its relevant health problems, functional gastrointestinal disorders. The study targeted nurses working at a university hospital, and compared the differences in gastrointestinal disorders of shift workers and non-shift workers and identified causes that significantly influence these symptoms. Methods: In August 2013, a self-report survey was conducted on nurses working at a university hospital. Among those sent out, 1,201 responded and 851 were used for the final analysis. Results: It was shown that the frequency of gastrointestinal disorders in shift workers was 1.881 times higher than that of non-shift workers. Factors that influenced gastrointestinal disorders included age, marital status, work duration, type of employment, job satisfaction, and perceived health status. Gastrointestinal disorders were seen more often with older age, being married, longer duration of employment, non-regular worker, low job satisfaction, bad perceived health status, and shift works. Conclusions: To prevent gastrointestinal disorders in nurses who work shifts, a health checkup system should be in place for clinical nurses who are of older age and have longer employment records. To decrease the causes of gastrointestinal disorders, campaigns suggesting regular diet and quitting alcohol use should be held consistently. Also, a category related to gastrointestinal disorders should be added to the employee health checkup for nurses with long work experience. Korean J Health Promot 2014;14(4):172-179