Impact of Rotational Work Pattern on Cognitive Performance and Well-Being Among Health Care Providers in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Background: Rotational work force is necessary for round the clock nursing care given to the patients admitted in the hospital. These work forces are thus at risk of altered circadian rhythm which may lead to physiological and psychological disturbances. Rotational work has been suggested to enhance the cognitive decline in humans; however, there are contradictory evidence are also present. Aim: To evaluate the cognitive impact of rotational work schedule by performing trail making test (TMT) and to assess the health-related problems among the health care workers. Materials & Methods: The present case control cross sectional study was conducted in the department of Physiology of Subharti Medical College & hospital, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. The study population comprised of 100 healthy adult nursing staff of both the sexes. Out of 100 study subjects, 50 were working in routine day schedule and the remaining was working in rotational schedule. All the participants were subjected to complete the trail making test both A and B. The time taken to complete the test by each individual was recorded. The data was analysed using SPSS software. Results: The present study revealed that the time taken to complete the trail making test B was significantly higher in rotational duty workers compared to day duty workers with a p value of 0.010, while for TMT -A, the difference was statistically nonsignificant with a p value of 0.067. We found a positive correlation between age, duration of work with that of TMT-A and TMT-B score. Various health related complaints like gastric upset, poor sexual performance, generalised body ache etc were more common among the rotational workers. Conclusion: The individuals involved in rotational work pattern exhibited negative impact on the overall health status especially the cognitive decline.