Sickness Presenteeism in Shift and Non-Shift Nurses: Using the Fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey.

Ari Min,Hye Chong Hong,Minkyung Kang

doi:10.3390/ijerph18063236

Abstract

Nurses have reported higher rates of sickness presenteeism than other workers, which is particularly problematic because this problem is linked to care quality and patient safety. This secondary data analysis study aimed to identify the prevalence of sickness presenteeism and explore related factors among shift and non-shift nurses using the Fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey. A total of 272 nurses in Korean hospitals were included. The survey included questions on working conditions, health status, and sickness presenteeism. A multivariate logistic regression was used to identify associated factors of sickness presenteeism. Overall, 21.8% of the participants reported experiencing sickness presenteeism; shift nurses experienced more sickness presenteeism than non-shift nurses. Sickness presenteeism was greater in shift nurses who did not have rest breaks during work and in nurses who experienced quick return. Additionally, the odds of sickness presenteeism were approximately four times greater in shift nurses who experienced sleep disturbance and about four times higher in shift nurses who experienced health problems. Among non-shift nurses, the odds of sickness presenteeism were about 15 times greater in those who worked ≥53 h per week. Nurse managers and administrators should prevent sickness presenteeism in hospital nurses to provide quality care and enhance productivity.

Highlights

Sickness presenteeism (SP) is defined as being present at work when feeling sick and unable to fully perform in the workplace [1,2,3]
There was no statistical difference in demographics, working conditions, and health status between shift and nonshift nurses
Our results indicate that rest breaks during work hours are important for reducing SP in shift nurses

Summary

Introduction

Sickness presenteeism (SP) is defined as being present at work when feeling sick and unable to fully perform in the workplace [1,2,3]. This concept has received considerable attention in the field of occupational health [4] because it negatively affects work performance, lowers work productivity [2,5], and increases financial burden [6,7,8]. South Korea faces the largest nurse shortage compared to previous years, as turnover rate is considerably high at 15.4% overall and 45.5% in newly graduated nurses, leading to high nurse-to-patient ratios and increased workload [12]. It is important to identify the factors that can reduce SP among nurses

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion