Shift Schedule Research Articles

Shift work domains and their interactions with empty calorie food/beverage consumption: A 14-day intensive longitudinal study

Background/objectivesShift work has been linked to unhealthy eating behaviors such as imbalanced diet, or increased empty calorie food/beverage consumption. However, most research has focused on the impact of shift timing. The concept of shift work is complex, and it contains several domains such as shift timing, intensity, and speed. Previous studies have suggested that greater shift intensity and quicker shift speed may contribute to adverse health effects. However, evidence regarding associations between other domains of shift work and empty calorie food/beverage consumption has been relatively lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate how other shift work domains related to empty calorie food/beverage consumption and whether different shift work domains interacted to influence the intake of foods or beverages. DesignA 14-day intensive longitudinal study employing ecological momentary assessment. Settings and participantsEighty registered nurses working in 24 accredited Taiwanese hospitals (i.e., 9 medical centers, 12 regional hospitals, and 3 district hospitals) were recruited. MethodsDuring the study period, a convenience sample of 77 participants completed 2444 momentary surveys about empty calorie food/beverage consumption on a smartphone. Three shift work domains (shift timing, intensity, and speed) were evaluated based on registry-based work schedules. To study how these shift work domains influenced empty calorie food/beverage consumption, we employed three-level mixed-effects regression models for data analyses. ResultsFindings suggested that greater night shift intensity increased the likelihood of sugar-sweetened beverage intake (odds ratio = 1.64, 95% confidence interval [1.01, 2.68]). The impacts of work shift intensity and shift timing on sugar-sweetened beverage consumption varied by shift speed. Among participants assigned a schedule with either medium or rapid shift speed, higher work shift intensity was associated with a higher probability of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. Compared to day shifts, those who were assigned a quicker shift speed on evening shifts were more likely to consume sugar-sweetened beverages. However, associations between night shift intensity and sugar-sweetened beverage intake did not change by shift speed. Furthermore, shift intensity and shift timing did not interact to affect empty calorie food/beverage consumption. ConclusionsThis study demonstrated assignments of shift schedules (i.e., high night shift intensity, more changes in shift timings) might influence workers' consumption of empty calorie foods/beverages. Therefore, identifying and mitigating hazardous shift schedules may help to improve shift workers' eating behaviors and benefit their overall health.

Optimizing human reliability in work shifts scheduling: A real case of clothing job shop

AbstractIn this research, we provide a mathematical model with an objective function of minimizing human errors for the problem of shift scheduling optimization. The unique aspects which are considered in our model are learning, forgetting, fatigue, and rest parameters (which affect the human reliability). Various problems with different human parameters, based on real cases of clothing job shops, are solved to study the efficiency and effectiveness of the optimization model. Two improved bacterial foraging algorithms are presented to handle the complexity of our problem. To examine the capability of the presented swarm intelligence algorithms in obtaining global optimum problem, we compare the results of the algorithms against the solution of basic bacterial foraging algorithm in terms of solutions quality. Results indicate that the solution approaches are more efficient in searching solution space and convergence. Analysis of different shift scheduling shows that in moderate fatigue condition, the scenario of scheduling with continuous work hours is better in terms of productivity. Also, experiments demonstrate that optimum reliable shift schedules are related to human factors. The findings of our research indicate that the presented scheduling model and improved algorithms can provide optimum shift schedules regarding human factors.

Challenges and opportunities for conducting pre-hospital trauma trials: a behavioural investigation

BackgroundTrials in pre-hospital trauma care are relatively uncommon. There are logistical and methodological challenges related to designing and delivering trials in this setting. Previous studies have assessed challenges reported in individual trials rather than across the pre-hospital trial landscape to identify over-arching factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the challenges and opportunities related to the set-up, design and conduct of pre-hospital trauma trials from across the pre-hospital trial landscape and a specific pre-hospital trauma feasibility study.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with two cohorts of participants: research personnel who had experience of pre-hospital trials, either through direct involvement in conduct or through strategic oversight of national initiatives (n = 7), and clinical staff (n = 16) involved in recruitment to a pre-hospital trauma feasibility study. Thematic analyses were used to assess the barriers and enablers of conducting pre-hospital trauma trials. Two frameworks (The Capability Opportunity Motivation—Behaviour and the Theoretical Domains Framework) were used to guide analyses.ResultsThe barriers and enablers reported were relevant to several TDF domains and COM-B components. Across both cohorts, challenges associated with opportunities were reported and included the lack of research experience amongst pre-hospital staff, team dynamics within a rotating shift schedule, and the involvement of external organisations with diverse institutional priorities and infrastructures (e.g. Air Ambulances). The infrequency of eligible cases was also reported to affect the trial design, set-up, and conduct. Other barriers reported related to clinical equipoise amongst staff and institutional pressures, which affected motivation.ConclusionsThis study has highlighted that pre-hospital trials face many context-specific but also generic challenges. Pre-hospital trauma trial teams could consider the findings to develop targeted, behaviourally focused, solutions to the challenges identified in order to enhance the set-up and conduct of trials in this setting.Trial registrationNCT04145271. Trial registration date: October 30, 2019. Note that this paper does not report results from a specific trial but does include participants who were involved in the conduct of a registered pre-hospital feasibility study.

Dietary Patterns under the Influence of Rotational Shift Work Schedules: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Workers employed in rotating shift schedules are at a higher metabolic risk compared with those in regular day and fixed shift schedules; however, the contribution of diet is unclear. This systematic review aimed to investigate how rotating shift work schedules affect dietary energy intake and dietary patterns compared with regular day and fixed shift schedules. In addition, intraperson energy intake and dietary pattern comparisons within rotating shift schedules were investigated. Database searches were conducted on MEDLINE, Cochrane, CINAHL, PSYCinfo, EMBASE, and Scopus, in addition to manual search of bibliographic references, to identify articles. Two separate meta-analyses compared dietary intake between day work and rotating shift work schedules and within the rotational shift work group (morning/day and night shifts). Differences in dietary patterns were synthesized narratively. Thirty-one studies (n = 18,196 participants) were included in the review, and meta-analyses were conducted with 24-hour mean energy intake data from 18 (n = 16,633 participants) and 7 (n = 327 participants) studies, respectively. The average 24-hour energy intake of rotating shift workers was significantly higher than that of workers in regular daytime schedules [weighted mean difference (WMD): 264 kJ; 95% confidence interval (CI): 70, 458 kJ; P < 0.008; I2 = 63%]. However, the mean difference in 24-hour energy intake between morning/day shifts compared with night shifts within rotational shift schedules was not statistically significant (WMD: 101 kJ; 95% CI: -651, 852 kJ; P = 0.79; I2 = 77%). Dietary patterns of rotating shift workers were different from those of day workers, showing irregular and more frequent meals, increased snacking/eating at night, consumption of fewer core foods, and more discretionary foods. This review highlights that dietary intake in rotational shift workers is potentially higher in calories and features different eating patterns as a consequence of rotating shift work schedules. This review was registered at PROSPERO as ID 182507.

Joint User Scheduling and Phase Shift Design for RIS Assisted Multi-Cell MISO Systems

This letter investigates the joint user scheduling and phase shift design for reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) assisted multi-cell downlink systems. A closed-form ergodic sum spectral efficiency (SE) approximation is utilized as the optimization metric. Based on this approximation, we schedule the users, whose cascaded channels are mostly correlated with each other’s, to maximize each user’s effective signal. Moreover, the RIS phase shift is designed to be the mean of the scheduled users’ cascaded channel phases. With the proposed transmission design, we find the optimal RIS deployment to achieve the highest maximum throughput which depends only on the relative locations of the BSs and RIS. In addition, we consider a more practical discrete RIS phase shift design based on a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) codebook. Simulation results show that the proposed low-complexity scheduling algorithm performs well.

A systematic review of the modelling of patient arrivals in emergency departments.

Accident and Emergency Department (AED) is the frontline of providing emergency care in a hospital and research focusing on improving decision-makings and service level around AED has been driving a rising number of attentions in recent years. A retrospective review among the published papers shows that related research can be classified according to six planning modules: demand forecasting, days-off scheduling, shift scheduling, line-of-work construction, task assignment and staff assignment. As patient arrivals demand forecasts enable smooth AED operational planning and help decision-making, this article conducted a systematic review on the statistical modelling approaches aimed at predicting the volume of AED patients' arrival. We carried out a systematic review of AED patient arrivals prediction studies from 2004 to 2021. The Medline, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases were searched. A two-step screening process was carried out based on the title and abstract or full text, and 35 of 1,677 articles were selected. Our methods and results follow the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We categorise AED methods for modelling patient arrivals into four main classes: regression, time series, artificial intelligence and time series regression. Choice of prediction model, selection of factors and model performance are compared. Finally, we discuss the advantages and limitations of the models and suggest future research directions. A total of 1,677 papers that fulfilled the initial searching criteria was obtained from the three databases. Based on the first exclusion criteria, 1,603 articles were eliminated. The remaining 74 full text articles were evaluated based on the second exclusion criteria. Finally, 35 articles were selected for full review. We find that the use of artificial intelligence-based model has risen in recent years, from the view of predictive model selection. The calendar-based factors are most commonly used compared with other types of dependent variables, from the view of dependent variable selection. All AEDs are inherently different and different covariables may have different effects on patient arrivals. Certain factors may play a key role in one AED but not others. Based on results of meta-analysis, when modelling patient arrivals, it is essential to understand the actual AED situation and carefully select relevant dominating factors and the most suitable modelling method. Local calibration is also important to ensure good estimates.

Factors Related to Nurse Satisfaction with Supervisor Leadership

The satisfaction of nurses with the leadership of their supervisors exerts a positive association with their job satisfaction. This study identified factors associated with nurse satisfaction with supervisor leadership and developed a model of causal relationships based on social exchange theory. A satisfaction scale was developed to measure how nurses felt about the leadership of their supervisor, which also assessed the validity and reliability using a cross-sectional descriptive survey questionnaire administered to nurses working in a teaching hospital in northern Taiwan. A total of 607 valid questionnaires were returned. Structural equation modeling was used to test the theoretical model of this study. Only questions that were scored above 3 were included in the scale. A total of 30 questions were placed under seven constructs of this scale upon the assessment of content validity. The results indicate that satisfaction with shift schedules, educational training, and internal communication exerted direct, significant, and positive associations with satisfaction with the supervisor leadership. Furthermore, satisfaction with policies and guidelines exerted direct, significant, and positive associations with satisfaction with internal communication and exerted indirect associations with satisfaction with supervisor leadership through internal communication. In particular, satisfaction with shift schedules and internal communication were most significantly associated with satisfaction with supervisor leadership. The results of this study offer a reference for hospital management and emphasize focusing on the arrangement of nurse shifts in all departments. The establishment of diverse communication channels can enhance the degree of nurse satisfaction with supervisor leadership.

Shift Work and Sleep Disturbance in the Oil Industry.

Rotating shift work is common in high-hazard industries, despite documented associations with sleep disturbance and impairment. In the oil industry, where rotating and extended shift schedules are used to staff safety-sensitive positions, work intensification and increasing overtime rates have been broadly documented over the last few decades. Research on the impacts of these work schedules on sleep and health has been limited for this workforce. We examined sleep duration and quality among rotating shift workers in the oil industry and explored associations between schedule characteristics, sleep, and health outcomes. We recruited hourly refinery workers from the West and Gulf Coast oil sector members of the United Steelworkers union. Impaired sleep quality and short sleep durations were common and associated with health and mental health outcomes common among shift workers. Shortest sleep durations followed shift rotations. Early rise and start times were associated with shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality. Drowsiness and fatigue-related incidents were common. We observed lower sleep duration and quality and increased overtime in 12-hour rotating shift schedules. These long workdays with early start times may reduce available hours for quality sleep; here they were associated with reduced exercise and leisure activity which correlated with good sleep. This safety-sensitive population appears severely impacted by poor sleep quality, which has broader implications for process safety management. Later start times, slower rotation, and a reconsideration of two-shift schedules are interventions to consider for improving sleep quality among rotating shift workers.

Meal timing variability of rotating shift workers throughout a complete shift cycle and its effect on daily energy and macronutrient intake: a field study.

To evaluate the meal timing variability of rotating shift workers throughout a complete shift schedule and its effect on daily energy and macronutrient intake. Thirty male shift-workers from a mining company were evaluated in a complete rotation shift cycle over 240 consecutive hours (10days; two days of morning shifts, two days of evening shifts, 24h free, two days of night shifts and three days off). Food intake related variables [meal timing, energy (kcal) and macronutrient intake (%)] were assessed by 24h recall by a trained nutritionist. Mixed models were used to analyze the variation in meal timing and energy and macronutrient intake throughout the shift cycle, as well as the interaction between shift and time ranges (00:00-03:59, 04:00-07:59, 08:00-11:59, 12:00-15:59, 16:00-19:59, 20:00-23:59). The first meal of the day was earlier on night shifts [D6 (3:44 ± 0:33) and D7 (5:52 ± 0:42)] compared to the other shifts (p < 0.001), except for D4 (evening shift; 5:51 ± 0:47) versus D7 (p = 0.999). Night shifts also showed a shorter night fasting (D5-D6, 9.3h; D6-D7, 9.6h) than most other nights (p < 0.05), except for the fasting between D1-D2 (11.3h) and D3-D4 (11.2h) (p > 0.05). There was no difference in 24h energy intake throughout the shift cycle (p = 0.065). The analysis of interaction between shift and time ranges showed that night shift (D6) presented a higher intake of energy (441.5 ± 48.4kcal), percentage of energy (D6: 17.8 ± 1.8%), fat (17.6 ± 2.0%), carbohydrate (17.0 ± 1.7%) and protein (16.4 ± 1.8%) between 00:00 and 03:59 compared with the other shift days (p < 0.05). Night shifts seem to contribute to a longer eating window than other shifts. Moreover, there is a higher energy and macronutrients intake during night shifts, which reduces the night fast period and could have implications for metabolic dysregulation.

Systematized elaboration of nursing service scales: integrative review

Objective: to analyze the scientific publications on the automated and systematized elaboration of the nursing service scale in health institutions. Methods: this is an integrative review with a search in the EMBASE, CINAHL, SCOPUS and LILACS databases correlating the descriptors Automation, Personnel Management, Information System, Tool Use, Nursing, Nurse, Nursing Staff, Shift Schedule. Results: 9 articles, 4 national and 5 international, 5 experience reports/case studies, 1 scope review, 1 cohort study as a pseudo-experiment and 2 quasi-experimental designs. The studies were shown in a table containing the title, database, authors, journal, objectives, results, level of evidence, quality of the study and authors' training. Conclusion: need to develop studies on the impact of using these devices on reducing personnel costs, reducing management workload, quality of patient care, balance between professional and personal life, as well as usability on the part of the team and about the advances that add more intelligence to the tools.

The Prolonged Effect of Shift Work and the Impact of Reducing the Number of Nightshifts on Arterial Stiffness-A 4-Year Follow-Up Study.

To assess changes in blood pressure (BP) and arterial stiffness among 84 rotating shift and 25 dayworkers (control subjects) at two industrial plants during a 4-year follow-up, and to assess changes in outcome variables among shift workers at the two plants after a reduction in the number of night shifts during the last year of follow-up in one of the plants. We collected demographic data using a questionnaire, examined systolic and diastolic blood pressure (sBP, dBP), central systolic and diastolic aorta pressure (cSP, cDP), augmentation pressure (AP), central pulse pressure (cPP), and pulse wave velocity (PWV). We registered sleep quality. The last 4-14 months of follow-up one plant implemented a 12-week shift plan reducing the total number of night shifts and consecutive night shifts from 16.8 to 14 and from 7.2 to 4. To assess differences in change of outcomes between study groups we applied linear mixed models. The dayworkers were older, more hypertensive, reported less sleep disturbance, and smoked/snuffed less than the shift workers did. The adjusted annual increase in PWV was 0.34 m/s (95%CI, 0.22, 0.46) among shift workers and 0.09 m/s (95%CI, -0.05, 0.23) in dayworkers, yielding a significant difference of change of 0.25 m/s (95%CI, 0.06, 0.43). No significant differences were found between the two groups of shift workers in any cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcome during the last year of follow-up. Shift work in industry is associated with arterial stiffness, reflecting an increased risk of future CVD. No significant changes in arterial stiffness were identified as a consequence of a small reduction in the number of night shifts and consecutive night shifts.

Sleep disorders and work-related stress with oral hygiene among Indian shift workers.

Construction workers are mostly migrants from isolated villages and are not vigilant about health care measures besides poor language skills. Majority of the population works in shifts across the globe. As a result of poor sleep architecture, excessive sleepiness or insomnia, the construction labourers working in shifts have approximately twice the risk of OSA when compared with those working in the daytime. Likewise, the performance and the productivity of employees in construction sites are impeded by added stress. Therefore, it is of interest to investigate the sleep disorders, work-related stress and its impact on oral hygiene among the construction workers in Chennai. A cross sectional study was conducted among 518 workers in various construction sites at Chennai, South India. The study incorporated BerlinQuestionnaire to evaluate disordered breathing during sleep, the Work Ability Index that contains questions concerning work, working ability and health and the Oral Hygiene Index Simplified (Greene and Vermillion, 1964) that was used for recording the oral hygiene status. Pearson correlation between education and OHI-S was statistically significant (r=-0.108). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that mean WAI score had a positive significant association with work experience (B=0.059, SE=0.030, p=0.05), habits (B=0.032, SE=0.017, p=0.05) and marital status (B=0.135, SE=0.54, p=0.01). In contrast, education (B=-0.0.052, SE=0.023, p=0.02) and work schedule (B=0.022, SE=0.037, p=0.54) were inversely associated with the mean score. Based on the current findings, it is imperative to restore work ability for those with poor work ability thereby enhancing productivity in the migrant workers. As shift work may be extremely detrimental to poor sleep quality, the employers should arrange shift schedules in accordance with sleep physiology. Additionally, dental awareness and interventions are required to improve oral hygiene among migrant workers.

Application of modified nursing shift schedule based on SBAR communication model in perioperative management of patients with early gastric cancer

Application of modified nursing shift schedule based on SBAR communication model in perioperative management of patients with early gastric cancer

The ENBIS‐21 quality and reliability engineering international special issue

The ENBIS-21 Quality and Reliability Engineering International Special Issue is related to the contributions to the 21st Annual Conference of the European Network for Business and Industrial Statistics (ENBIS) held online from 13 to 15 September, 2021. The topics covered by the 12 papers included in this special issue fall within the scope of ENBIS, whose ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between methodology and application in the field of business and industrial statistics and foster networking between statisticians in academic and commercial settings. It becomes evident from the papers on this issue that classical methods of industrial statistics are still having a wide range of applications and expansions towards complex and big data structures as well as they are increasingly cross-fertilized by artificial intelligence and machine learning perspectives and approaches. The issue is opened by the contribution of Yang et al.1 in the Statistical Process Monitoring (SPM) of data in the form of tensors. The authors develop a hierarchical in-situ process monitoring approach for anomaly detection, which is applied to thermal video streams acquired during a metal additive manufacturing process for highly complex parts. A more traditional SPM approach based on generalized likelihood ratio (GLR) control charts is elaborated by Rizzo and Di Bucchianico2 to set up tailor-made monitoring for high-purity (high-quality) processes and deals with issues arising in GLR control charts for discrete processes. Along the line of developing statistical methods for complex data structures, Gril et al.3 set up a tensor-on-tensor regression model able to dynamically predict repetitive human motions helpful in avoiding unwanted collisions at the interface with robots in industrial assembly tasks. Chuquin et al.4 present a straightforward extension of the K-means clustering to spatially correlated functional data, with an application in the analysis of the normalized difference vegetation index in a large region of Ecuador. From a more general perspective, Vanacore et al.5 address the problem of assessing prediction performance in the multi-class classification of imbalanced data sets. In the optimal Design of Experiments (DoE) Pesce et al.6 offer new results that are oriented to bias reduction in large datasets and protection against confounders. Whereas, Kirchhoff et al.7 use DoE as the initial solution for the optimization of shift planning in high-bay warehouse operations based on Gaussian process models with low-rank correlation kernels. Risk assessment and management is the topic of the following three papers. Testik and Unlu8 compare traditional and fuzzy failure modes and effect analysis to rank risks in different areas of testing and calibration laboratories. Meynaoui et al.9 deal with an accidental scenario in a sodium-cooled fast nuclear reactor by means of a global sensitivity analysis of the input parameter distribution used in numerical simulator outputs to model physical phenomena. Lai and Zwetsloot10 offer a data-driven ensemble ranking system of product quality, which is validated in the identification of high-risk manufacturers in a solar industry case study. The final two papers are devoted to the Reliability and Maintenance of repairable systems. El-Aroui and Gaudoin11 propose a general goodness-of-fit test for imperfect repair models that has the favorable property of being asymptotically distribution-free for renewal and power law processes. Fouladirad et al.12 develop a new bounded transformed gamma process model to describe and predict degradation phenomena by relaxing the typical assumption that the degradation level can grow indefinitely, which is often unrealistic for technological units. The proposed model is also applied to a set of wear measures of cylinder liners that equip a diesel engine for marine propulsion. We are deeply grateful to the journal staff for their professional assistance in the editorial process, as well as to the anonymous referees for the time and effort spent to provide careful and constructive comments, and to all the authors, who made revisions on a very tight timescale.

Distribution of working hour characteristics by race, age, gender, and shift schedule among U.S. manufacturing workers

ABSTRACT Shift work is a common occupational exposure, however, few studies have examined aspects of shift work beyond night work and long hours, such as rotational patterns or weekend work, which may contribute to poor health through disruption of the body’s circadian rhythms. In this manuscript, we calculated the prevalence of working hour characteristics using algorithms for type (e.g., day), duration, intensity, rotational direction, and social aspects (e.g., weekend work) in a nationwide cohort of American manufacturing workers (N = 23,044) between 2003 and 2014. Distributions of working hour characteristics were examined by schedules (e.g., permanent day, day/night) and demographics, and were cross-classified in a matrix to examine co-occurrence. Approximately 55% of shifts may cause circadian rhythm disruption as they were non-day shifts or day shifts with a quick return or rotation, or were 13 h or longer. Older workers, female workers, and White workers worked permanent day shifts most often, while workers of color worked more day/night schedules. Night and evening shifts had more frequent shift rotations, quick returns, and longer hours than day shifts. Yet, day shifts, which are presumed to have little negative circadian impact, may cause circadian rhythm disruption as long hours, quick returns and rotations also occurred within day shifts.

Association between Shift Work Schedules and Cardiovascular Events in a Multi-Ethnic Cohort.

Shift work is known to increase the risk of cardiometabolic diseases and mortality. We investigate the relationship between shift work schedules and cardiometabolic risk factors (smoking, hypertension, and obesity) and their association with cardiometabolic diseases (diabetes and cardiovascular diseases) in a multi-ethnic population from Singapore. 2469 participants from the Singapore-based Multi-Ethnic Cohort underwent physical and clinical assessments. Shift work schedules (morning, evening, night, and mixed) were assessed using a validated questionnaire. Among shift workers, night shift workers had a significantly higher prevalence of smoking (54.5%), diabetes (27.3%), and cardiovascular events (14.1%). Compared to non-shift workers, workers in the night (OR = 2.10, 95%CI: 1.26-3.41) and mixed (OR = 1.74, 95%CI: 1.22-2.48) shift groups were more likely to be current smokers. A significant association between shift duration and smoking (OR = 1.02, 95%CI: 1.00-1.03) was also observed, with longer shift duration (in years) leading to an increase in smoking behavior. No significant associations were found between shift work schedules and hypertension, obesity (BMI), diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, as well as other cardiometabolic risk factors and diseases. This study found that shift schedules and shift duration were most strongly associated with smoking status after covariate adjustments (age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and work arrangement), with night and mixed shift types being strongly associated with current smoker status. As smoking is a modifiable risk factor for cardiometabolic disease, employers of shift workers should increase work-based health interventions to control smoking and promote a healthier workforce.

The burden of peri-operative work at night as perceived by anaesthesiologists: An international survey.

No international data are available on the night working conditions and workload of anaesthesiologists and their opinions about associated risks. The aim of this international survey was to describe the peri-operative night working conditions of anaesthesiologists and their perception of the impact these conditions have on patient outcomes and their own quality of life. Cross-sectional survey. Not applicable. Anaesthesiologists providing peri-operative care during night shifts responded to an online survey promoted by the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care (ESAIC). None. Twenty-eight closed questions. Overall 5292 complete responses were analysed. Of these, 920 were from trainees. The median reported monthly number of night shifts was 4 [IQR 3-6]. An irregular weekly night shift schedule was most common (51%). Almost all the respondents (98%) declared that their centres have no relevant institutional programmes to monitor stress or fatigue. Most respondents (90%) had received no training or information regarding performance improvement methods for night work. Most respondents were of the opinion that sleep deprivation affects their professional performance (71%) and that their fatigue during night work may increase the peri-operative risk for their patients (74%). Furthermore, 81% of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that night work represents an additional risk per se for patient safety, and 77% stated that their night work affects the quality of their daily life significantly or extremely. Anaesthesiologists commonly perform perioperative night work without appropriate training, education or support on this specific condition. They perceive current practice as adversely affecting their professional performance and the safety of their patients. They also report significant effects on their own quality of life. Adequate training and education for night work may ally some of these concerns and programmes to monitor workers' stress and fatigue should be mandated to assess whether these concerns are justified. Not applicable.

Burnout Syndrome Among Respiratory Therapists in Saudi Arabia

Background: Burnout (BO) is a consequence of chronic work-related stress exposure and impacts healthcare workers' performance, efficiency, and quality of care. Purpose: The study aimed to assess the BO among respiratory therapists (RTs) in Saudi Arabia and examine the association between BO and sociodemographic data and professional satisfaction. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving a convenience sample of RTs in Saudi Arabia was conducted utilizing the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) in addition to questions regarding sociodemographic information and professional satisfaction. Three dimensions typify BO syndrome in the MBI questionnaire: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27.0 was used to analyse the data. To make comparisons between two continuous variables, independent samples t-tests were used. A one-way ANOVA test was used for factors with more than two categories. Two hundred thirty-six RTs (N=236) were surveyed in this study. The majority of the respondents were male n=130 (55.1%), single n=140 (59.3%), and lived in the central region n=136 (57.6%). The age of the participating RTs in the study ranged from 20 to 58 years, with an average of 28.5 years (SD±5.08). Results: The results showed that RTs had a high level of emotional exhaustion with a mean of 31.97, a moderate level for depersonalization with a mean of 11.39, and a moderate level for lack of personal accomplishment with a mean of 33.58. Age, gender, the role of the RTs, hours of work, and shift schedule of the participants were associated with BO. The workload was the most work factor among RTs associated with BO. Professional satisfaction of work-life balance, the current job, and monthly income were related to the burnout levels across the three subscales. Conclusion: This study was the first to explore BO by MBI and related factors among RTs in Saudi Arabia. Burnout seemed to be a common problem among RTs in Saudi Arabia and was associated with sociodemographic information and professional satisfaction. The findings may help to develop effective intervention strategies to limit and prevent BO. More prospective studies are required with a larger number of participants of RTs.

A competence-based planning methodology for optimizing human resource allocation in industrial maintenance

Maintenance planning in Industry 4.0 gains benefits from symbolic AI for knowledge representation learning from heterogeneous data. Traditionally simulation models are utilized that are not flexible to cope with dynamic changes and to react to ad-hoc events. This paper presents a novel competence-based maintenance planning (CBMP) methodology using a knowledge graph conjoined with linear programming and a genetic algorithm. Aligned with production planning goals, CMBP allows optimizing human resource planning through integrating competence factors in shift scheduling and task allocation. The use case study in semiconductor manufacturing has resulted in a reduced Mean Time To Repair of 18%.

The association between shift scheduling and burnout, insomnia, and well-being in critical care nurses

The association between shift scheduling and burnout, insomnia, and well-being in critical care nurses