Factors affecting the work ability of nursing personnel with post-COVID infection.

Post-COVID infection have raised concerns regarding their impact on nursing personnel's work ability. This study aimed to assess the relationship between post-COVID infection and work ability among nursing personnel. A retrospective observational study from December 2022 to January 2023 involved 609 nursing personnel with a history of COVID-19 infection at a tertiary hospital. An online questionnaire measured post-COVID infection, personal and working factors, and the Work Ability Index (WAI). Long COVID was defined as the continuation or development of new symptoms 1 month post COVID-19 infection. Of 609 personnel, 586 showed post-COVID symptoms (fatigue, cough, difficulty breathing, etc.), with 73.72% in the short COVID group and 26.28% in the long COVID group. A significant association was found between WAI and post-COVID infection (aOR: 3.64, 95% CI 1.59-8.30), with the short COVID group had a significantly higher WAI than the long COVID group (mean difference 2.25, 95% CI 1.44-3.05). The factors related to work ability in the long COVID group were chronic diseases, work limitation, low job control (P < 0.05). Post-COVID infection, especially long COVID, adversely affect nursing personnel's work ability. Enhancing job control and addressing work limitations are crucial for supporting their return to work.

[The professional burnout of medical workers and its determining factors].

The study was carried out using survey technique applied to sampling of workers of the first three polyclinics of Moscow. The method was based on international questionnaire Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) that permitted to consider characteristics of activity of medical professionals. The analysis of results of study demonstrated that overall prevalence of burnout among doctors is 17%,among nursing personnel - 21%, among non-medical personnel - 19%. The average age of workers with professional burnout is 34-49 years. Among workers with burnout more than half of them had higher education and 30% had specialized secondary education. The workers consider as main factors of professional burnout necessity to spend most of working time at the computer (up to 92%), unrealistic expectations of patients from received medical care (up to 88%), deficiency of time for reception of patients and personal life. The majority of employees had an average (35%) and low (43%) level of reduction in personal achievements that testifies well-being of work environment. The conclusion is made that in polyclinic section of Moscow health care there are no serious conflicts in collectives and existing conflicts are within limits of working relationships.

Healthcare professionals' digital health competence profiles and associated factors: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: To identify healthcare professionals' digital health competence profiles and explore associated factors to digital health competence in healthcare settings. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: Data were collected from 817 healthcare professionals from nine organizations with an electronic questionnaire by using Digital Health Competence instrument (42 items) and Aspects Associated with Digital Health instrument (15 items) between 1st March and 31st July 2022. K-means clustering was used to describe digital health competence profiles. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to explore associated factors. RESULTS: Analysis revealed three digital health competence profiles: A - high competence (n = 336), B - intermediate competence (n = 352) and C - low competence (n = 129). Between the profiles, digital health competence showed significant differences (p < .001). Recent graduation year, working in outpatient environments and leader or specialist position were associated with higher digital health competence. Organizational practices and the influence from colleagues improved competence in human-centred remote counselling, digital solutions as part of work, competence in utilizing and evaluating digital solutions and ethical competence. Support from management improved digital solutions as part of work and ethical competence. CONCLUSION: Nursing and allied health professionals working in other than outpatient environments should be specifically acknowledged when digital health competence development initiatives are designed and targeted. The positive influence from colleagues could be harnessed by enhancing their involvement in digital health competence development methods such as orientation, mentoring or coaching. Additionally, managers should take a stronger role in supporting different areas of digital health competence. IMPACT: This was the first study that explored healthcare professionals' digital health competence profiles and associated factors. The detection of healthcare professionals' digital health competence profiles guides the development of digital health education according to different needs in healthcare environments. REPORTING METHOD: The study has adhered to STROBE guidelines. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Relation between innovative work behavior and ethical climate perceptions among nursing personnel.

BACKGROUND: Globalization and innovative technologies forced organizations to adopt innovative approaches and innovations for gaining a sustainable competitive advantage. Innovative Work Behavior (IWB) is related to the employees, ability, and enthusiasm to create innovative ideas. It exhibits a dynamic framework that is easier to be impacted by the ethical climate. METHODS: Descriptive correlational design was applied and the study was performed at different inpatient units in Kafrelsheikh Governorate General Hospital. Two hundred twenty-two staff nurses and 45 head nurses from the aforementioned setting were chosen as a purposive sample. Two instruments were utilized to obtain the data; Innovative Work Behavior questionnaire and Ethical Climate Questionnaire. The significance of the acquired data was evaluated at the 5% level. Number and percentage were used to describe qualitative data and Range frequency, mean, standard deviation, and Pearson coefficient were used to characterize quantitative data. RESULTS: More than half of staff nurses had a positive perception of innovative work behavior and more than three quarters of them had a negative Ethical climate perception. CONCLUSION: The study proved a significant relation between Efficiency dimension and the overall innovative work behavior perception p = 0.044, and the economic affairs and innovation dimension and the overall ethical climate perception p = 0.033.

Understanding nursing personnel's health while working in end-of-life care-A hermeneutical study.

AIM: This study aimed to explore nursing personnel's health while working in end-of-life care. INTRODUCTION: End-of-life care is challenging both for nursing personnel and for the healthcare organisation, as retaining nursing staff is difficult. Although end-of-life care involves the risk of burnout, it also encompasses protective factors that can lead to personal and professional development and satisfaction, and that can enable personnel to encounter their own inner selves. In order to focus on the health of nursing personnel we chose the theory of caritative caring as our theoretical perspective. METHOD: A qualitative inductive research design with a hermeneutical approach was chosen to explore nursing personnel's health while working in end-of-life care. Two assistant nurses and six registered nurses with experience in end-of-life care at a palliative care unit participated. The study was approved by a Regional Ethical Review Board. RESULTS: The results are presented on three levels: rational, structural and existential. In the rational level, fellowship and togetherness with colleagues, as well as being able to distinguish between private life and work were important for nursing personnel's strategies for maintaining their health. At the structural level, social togetherness, sharing emotions and being involved in each other's emotions were important for nursing personnel's health. The existential level showed that the nursing personnel's own existential situation was affected when their inner self was emotionally affected by the patients' suffering. The awareness of suffering, life and death made the nursing personnel feel inner security, both as nursing professionals and as human beings. CONCLUSION: A common perspective based on a theory of caritative care may be helpful for retaining nursing personnel. While the study highlights nursing personnel's health while working in an end-of-life care context, the results may also be applicable to nursing professionals' health in other contexts.

"Always Look at the Clock": Psychosocial Working Conditions in Outpatient Care-A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: In view of demographic change, there is a growing need for qualified nursing professionals. More and more people in need of care prefer to be cared for at home. A shortage of skilled workers and constantly changing and increasing professional requirements are some of the consequences. The aim of this study is to generate further insights into work-related psychosocial stress factors and the resources of outpatient caregivers in their subjective perceptions to derive approaches for possible health-promoting interventions for practice and research that promote healthier and more sustainable work. In addition, coping strategies and needs should be inquired about in order to determine support offers. METHODS: Using a semi-structured interview guide, thirty outpatient nursing professionals in Germany were interviewed in 2022. The subject of this interview was the psychosocial working conditions and resources in outpatient care. The collected data were evaluated by means of the Kuckartz qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: This qualitative study identified work-related job demands and resources in outpatient care. The way nurses are treated in the companies they work for and the appreciation of patients were explored as important resources. Physical demands, the time factor, and dealing with personal fates are primarily mentioned as stress factors. The learning effect plays an important role in dealing with these. CONCLUSION: This study contributes to a better understanding of current job strain and resources as well as job satisfaction in outpatient care. In any case, it became clear that the nursing staff love their profession, which they see more as a vocation. Future quantitative studies are necessary to build on these findings. First ideas of implications for health promotion measures in research and practice have already been derived.

Perceptions and experiences of female nurses when confronted with expressing a conscientious objection towards end-of-life care in Greece.

BACKGROUND: Conscientious objection in nursing has been a topic of much discussion in recent years. Healthcare providers' conscientious objection has been included in Greek legislation. However, little is known about the real experiences of nurses who want to apply conscientious objections in their practice. This study aimed to contribute to filling that gap. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted with eighteen experienced female nurses. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with purposively selected nurses during the period from October 2019 to January 2020. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. The ethical principles of anonymity, voluntary participation and confidentiality were considered. RESULTS: Eight major themes and seven subthemes emerged from the thematic data analysis. Oppressive behaviors in the workplace and subservient interactions between nurses and physicians, suboptimal communication and inadequate support of nurses, perceived ineffectiveness of nurses' conscientious objections, missing legal protection against job insecurity, provision of care labeled 'futile', nurses' false knowledge and perceptions on medical situations related to conscientious objections, nurses' fears of isolation bullying and negative gossip in the workplace and a trivial amount of nurses' involvement in medical decisions emerged as barriers to nurses raising conscientious objection. Furthermore, from data analysis, it emerged that some nurses had false knowledge and perceptions on medical situations related to conscientious objections, some nurses experienced mild uncertainty distress about their ethical concerns, nurses considered their remote contribution as participation that can give rise to conscientious objection, a collective conscientious objection raised by nurses might have increased chances of being effective, and upbringing, childhood experiences, education and religion are factors shaping the nurses' core values. CONCLUSION: A total of fifteen themes and subthemes emerged from this study. Most of the findings of this study were previously unknown or undervalued and might be helpful to inform nurses and nursing managers or leaders as well as healthcare policy makers. The results of this study might contribute to addressing the need for creating ethically sensitive health care services and ensuring nurses' moral integrity and high quality of patient care.

Between Autonomy and Paternalism: Attitudes of Nursing Personnel Towards Jehovah's Witnesses' Refusal of Blood Transfusion.

Objectives: The study describes the attitudes of Polish nursing personnel towards Jehovah's Witnesses' (JWs') refusal to receive blood and blood products. Methods: We developed an online survey assessing nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards JWs' refusal of blood transfusion in a life-threatening condition. It also examined nurses' attitudes towards ethical and legal issues associated with JWs' refusal of blood transfusions. These questions were explored using a sample of 202 Polish nurses. Results: Nurses' knowledge of JWs' stance towards blood transfusions is inadequate and they tended to be ill-disposed towards JWs' refusal of blood transfusions. Although most nurses respected adult JW patients' autonomy and supported their right to refuse blood, in the case of JW children they are guided by paternalism. Nurses' attitudes were affected by whether they had children, whether they declared themselves religious, their level of education and prior experience with patients who had refused a blood transfusion. Conclusion: Since most nurses felt unprepared to care for JW patients, this study reveals an urgent need to train nurses in transcultural nursing and increase nurses' cultural competencies, and that this should be incorporated into medical curricula .

Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Communication Among Doctors and Nurses in ICUs During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Importance in Professional Life Quality Improvement.

To investigate interdisciplinary cooperation and communication among doctors and nurses along with its role in improving the quality of their professional life, a cross-sectional survey was designed. The study was carried out from February to April 2021 through the application of an anonymous, structured, self-completed, closed-ended questionnaire in a convenience sample consisting of 110 healthcare professionals currently working in the intensive care units (ICUs) of three distinct hospitals (response rate: 76.4%). It was observed that medical personnel manifested a more positive stance toward interdisciplinary collaboration than nursing while women seemed to believe more than men that nurses' administrative skills are not valued enough by doctors. Nurses with limited work experience reported that doctors show scarce respect to nurses in the presence of patients' parents and companions while male nurses acknowledged more the provision of multidimensional care given to patients. Occupational stress, professional satisfaction, and burnout levels were mainly moderate across study participants.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and working conditions of nurses and its implications for policies: a cross-sectional study in Slovakia.

BACKGROUND: Increased workload and of the health workforce (HW) strained the capacity to maintain essential health services (EHS) during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, while putting them at increased risk of COVID-19 and other consequences to their health. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the health, wellbeing, and working conditions of nurses in Slovakia and to identify gaps in policies to be addressed to increase preparedness of the HW for future emergencies. METHODS: A nation-wide cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses during November-December 2021, referring to the period of January 2021 to November 2021. To assess the differences between impact on HW on various levels of care, respondents were grouped by type of facility: hospital-COVID-19 wards; Hospital-non-covid ward; Outpatient or ER; Other care facilities. RESULTS: 1170 nurses participated, about 1/3 of them tested positive for COVID-19 by November 2021, mostly developing mild disease. Almost 2/3 reported long-covid symptoms and about 13% reported that they do not plan to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The median of the score of the impact of workload on health was 2.8 (56% of the maximum 5), the median score of mental health-wellbeing was 1.9 (63% of a maximum of 3). The studied impacts in all domains were highest in nurses working in COVID-19 hospital wards. Significant disruptions of health care were reported, with relatively high use of telemedicine to mitigate them. Overall, about 70% of the respondents thought of leaving their job, mostly due to working stress or inadequate pay. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic poses a substantial burden on the health, wellbeing and working conditions of nurses in Slovakia and that a large proportion of nurses considered leaving their jobs because of work overload or low salaries. Human resource strategies should be adopted to attract, retain and continuously invest in HW development including in emergency preparedness and response. Such an approach may improve the resilience and preparedness of the health system in Slovakia for future emergencies.

Superheroes or Super Spreaders? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Attitudes towards Nurses: A Qualitative Study from Poland.

The social perception of the nursing profession in Poland is profoundly affected by social stereotypes that may discourage young people from entering the profession and lead to prejudice towards nurses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses gained visibility, which caused the social image of nurses to likewise grow. In this study, we explore nurses' experiences with respect to how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the social image of nursing. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen hospital nurses. Three major themes emerged: (1) social attitudes towards nurses during the pandemic, (2) nurses' perception of the impact of the pandemic on the social image of the nursing profession and (3) the impact of the pandemic on nurses' mental health. Although the pandemic promoted the image of nursing to the general public, nurses were disappointed that in the face of the healthcare crisis and the constant threat, they had to struggle with difficult working conditions and professional, social and economic recognition. This study therefore stresses the duty of policy makers to undertake a systemic approach to improving the organisation of health care and increase nurses' safety by providing them with a safe working environment and prepare them better for the next health crisis.

Necesidad de cuidados continuos en personas con cáncer de pulmón avanzado / The Need for Continuous Care in People with Advanced Lung Cancer

Introducción: El cáncer de pulmón constituye un problema sanitario a nivel mundial, a pesar de los avances tecnológicos y terapéuticas en oncología, hay un alto porcentaje de personas que se diagnostican en estadios avanzados de la enfermedad, las cuales tienen una mayor demanda de cuidados continuos. Objetivo: Identificar la necesidad de cuidados continuos en personas con cáncer de pulmón avanzado. Métodos: Revisión sistemática realizada durante enero a julio del 2021. Se realizó análisis de contenido de documentos, que incluyó artículos originales y de revisión publicados desde 2010 hasta 2021 en las bases de datos SciELO, Google Scholar y Elsevier. Se elaboró la pregunta guía a través del acrónimo PICo. La estrategia de búsqueda se realizó mediante los descriptores en Ciencias de la Salud (DeCS) "Personal de enfermería", "Neoplasia de pulmón" y "cuidados de enfermería" y el operador booleano AND. Se utilizó el diagrama de flujo (PRISMA) para la formulación de la estrategia de búsqueda, se identificaron y revisaron 77 artículos, de los que fueron útiles 12 de la evolución de la categoría. Conclusiones: El análisis realizado referido a la necesidad de los cuidados continuos en personas con cáncer de pulmón avanzado permitió definición operativa de esta categoría, a partir de las características de esta entidad y la demanda que enfrentan los servicios de hospitalización y los profesionales de enfermería en correspondencia con la satisfacción de necesidades de estas personas, y permitió establecer un acercamiento en los referentes teóricos que sustentan el tema(AU)

Introduction: Lung cancer is a worldwide health problem; despite technological and therapeutic advances in oncology, there is a high percentage of people diagnosed in advanced stages of the disease, which have a greater demand for continuous care. Objective: To identify the need for continuous care in people with advanced lung cancer. Methods: A systematic review was conducted from January to July 2021. Document content analysis was performed, including original and review articles published from 2010 to 2021 in the SciELO, Google Scholar and Elsevier databases. The guiding question was elaborated using the acronym PICo. The search strategy was performed using the Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) Personal de enfermería [nursing personnel], Neoplasia de pulmón [lung neoplasia], and cuidados de enfermería [nursing care], together with the Boolean operator AND. The PRISMA flowchart was used for the formulation of the search strategy; 77 articles were identified and reviewed, of which 12 from the category evolution. Conclusions: The carried out analysis regarding the need for continuous care in people with advanced lung cancer allowed the operational definition of this category, based on the characteristics of this entity or the demand faced by hospitalization services and nursing professionals in correspondence with the satisfaction of needs of these people, as well as it allowed establishing an approach within the theoretical references that support the topic(AU)

The Caring Mission - Nursing Personnel's Inner Driving Force in End-of-Life Care.

Constantly facing human suffering and impending death can generate anxiety and insecurity in nursing personnel in end-of-life care. The aim of the study is to reveal nursing personnel's inner driving force in end-of-life care. A phenomenological hermeneutical method was used to search for meaning in the narrative data collected in this study. The structural analysis resulted in four themes: The appeal in the patient's vulnerability, The appeal in the patient's joy, Facing one's own existence in vulnerability, and Being at home with colleagues. Both vulnerability and joy motivated nursing personnel in caring. The care was often emotionally engaging and oscillated between grief and joy, which required a great deal from the nursing personnel both as professionals and fellow human beings. At the same time the emotionally engaging constituted an inner driving force, which gave them courage to do the best for the patients at the end of life.

Nursing personnel management during COVID-19 pandemic: An exemption trend in view of health reasons.

Background: In the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare system faced unprecedented challenges with increased number of patients and limited resources. Managing nursing resource was a major challenge for hospital administration. They had to be on the frontline, but their safety was of paramount importance. Aim: This study aims to analyze the measures taken for the management and effective engagement of nursing personnel for deployment in the COVID area of the hospital and the exemption trend based on their health status. Methodology: A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out to analyze the requests of nursing staff received for exemption of duty in COVID patient care areas. These requests were categorized and examined by the medical board constituted for this purpose. Microsoft Excel was used to interpret the results. Results: The study evaluated the health reasons of nursing officers on the basis of which exemption was given for deployment of nursing officers in COVID areas. They were mostly medical reasons (91.1%) and few personal reasons (8.77%). The majority suffered from diseases affecting two or more than two specialties. Out of 376 applications, 223 were exempted, 81 were not exempted, 13 were given short-term exemption, and 26 were shifted to administrative assignments. Thirty-three staff members were referred to an appropriate forum.

The cooperative behavior and intention to stay of nursing personnel in healthcare management.

The management of human resources is essential in a hospital, and its success can be seen based on the turnover rate of nursing personnel (nurses and midwives). In a hospital, the nursing personnel represents the largest number of professionals, and its performance greatly affects the effectiveness of services for patients. This study examined how organizations can predict turnover rates through intention to stay. Furthermore, this study aimed to explain the influence of cooperative behavior (both perceived external prestige and internal respect that affects organizational identification), which correlates with the intention to stay of nursing personnel. This quantitative research had a cross-sectional design, using a survey. The population involved non-permanent workers in five private and government hospitals. The sample consisted of 147 respondents. This study indicates that cooperative behavior showed positivity and significantly influenced the intention to stay, based on a 95% confidence degree. Perceived external prestige (p=0.009) and perceived internal respect (p=0.002) showed positivity and significantly influenced organizational identification. Perceived internal respect directly influenced the intention to stay (p=0.000), and organizational identification showed positivity and significantly influenced the intention to stay (p=0.000). Hospital management is more active in improving efforts and programs to improve the behavior of cooperatives, which is actually more dominant in non-financial aspects.

The development of a questionnaire to assess the willingness of Chinese community health workers to implement advance care planning.

BACKGROUND: To develop a questionnaire to evaluate the willingness of Chinese health care workers to implement an advance care planning (ACP) program for patients in a Chinese cultural context. METHODS: Guided by the framework of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), a literature analysis and semi-structured interviews were conducted to create a pool of questionnaire items, and then the initial assessment questionnaire was developed by two rounds of expert consultations. A random sampling method was used to pre-survey 204 health care workers in community health service centers (CHSCs) in three urban areas of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The final questionnaire was derived from item analysis and exploratory factor analysis. RESULTS: Based on exploratory factor analysis, five common factors were identified from the questionnaire on community health care workers'(CHWs) willingness to implement ACP. In general, the content validity of the questionnaire was 0.91, and the content validity of each of the entries ranged from 0.80 to 1.00, indicating acceptable overall questionnaire content validity. The total Cronbach coefficient for the questionnaire was 0.966, the Cronbach coefficient for each dimension ranged from 0.865 to 0.954, and the retest reliability was 0.856. The questionnaire produced a final draft containing five dimensions (behavioral attitudes, subjective norms, direct control, indirect control, and behavioral intentions) and 30 items. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire on the willingness of CHWs to implement ACP was validated and found to be reliable.

Level of Fear in Front-Line Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic, a Cross-Sectional Study in Iran.

INTRODUCTION: The front-line nurses are at risk of physical and psychological damage during an epidemic. This study aimed to investigate the level of nurses' fear in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) central hospitals in Iran. METHODS: The study is cross-sectional. The questionnaire was designed in 2 parts (demographic and the level of fear). The sampling method was quota and random. The questionnaires were completed by the same nurses after 4 weeks. RESULTS: A total of 345 questionnaires were distributed (the response rate was 89.27%). A total of 121 nurses (39.3%) were female. Most participants were in the 26-30 y group. paired t-test showed the mean fear of COVID-19 in the first and the fourth weeks was significant (P < 0.001). There was a statistical relationship between demographic variables of gender, age, marriage, number of working shifts, having children, and work experience of nurses with the level of fear. CONCLUSIONS: Health-care providers have shown resilience and a spirit of professional sacrifice to overcome problems. The nurses experienced a level of disease-related fear in close contact with COVID-19 patients. It is essential to apply strategies to optimize safe working conditions and minimize psychological harm and provide regular and intensive training to all health-care providers to improve preparedness.

Attitude and Perception of Nursing Personnel Involved in Real Time Remote Audio-Visual Aided (RT-RAVA) Monitoring of Doffing for the Prevention of Covid-19 Infection among the Health Care Workers.

The study was carried out to explore the attitude and perception of observers involved in monitoring of doffing through Real Time Remote Audio-Visual aided (RT-RAVA), the first well-sophisticated surveillance system. A 21-item online-survey proforma was used to collect the data amongst 150 nursing personnel. 3/4th of the participants strongly agreed that they helped in reducing the doffing errors through RT-RAVA doffing. 97.3% perceived that the system is highly effective in reducing the infection during doffing. There was significant correlation between attitude and perception of the observers. The system was perceived as highly effective and was recommended for doffing.

Drug Interactions for Patients with Respiratory Diseases Receiving COVID-19 Emerged Treatments.

Pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is still pressing the healthcare systems worldwide. Thus far, the lack of available COVID-19-targeted treatments has led scientists to look through drug repositioning practices and exploitation of available scientific evidence for potential efficient drugs that may block biological pathways of SARS-CoV-2. Till today, several molecules have emerged as promising pharmacological agents, and more than a few medication protocols are applied during hospitalization. On the other hand, given the criticality of the disease, it is important for healthcare providers, especially those in COVID-19 clinics (i.e., nursing personnel and treating physicians), to recognize potential drug interactions that may lead to adverse drug reactions that may negatively impact the therapeutic outcome. In this review, focusing on patients with respiratory diseases (i.e., asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) that are treated also for COVID-19, we discuss possible drug interactions, their underlying pharmacological mechanisms, and possible clinical signs that healthcare providers in COVID-19 clinics may need to acknowledge as adverse drug reactions due to drug-drug interactions.

Timing and Composition of Last Meal before Bedtime Affect Sleep Parameters of Night Workers.

Night workers tend to eat irregularly, both in terms of meal times and composition. The disruption in energy metabolism caused by inappropriate eating habits can negatively affect the sleep quality of these individuals. The objectives of this study were to determine the interval between the last meal and bedtime and its relationship with both diurnal and nocturnal sleep parameters, as well as to evaluate the association of the adequacy of this meal with sleep parameters. The analyses were carried out for a usual sleep routine on a workday and a day off. This cross-sectional study was part of a controlled, randomized, double-blind, crossover clinical trial. The sample comprised 30 female nursing professionals who worked permanent night shifts of 12 × 36 h. Timing and composition of the last meal were obtained from food diaries, and sleep parameters were collected via actigraphy. On multiple linear regression analysis, every hour decrease in the interval between the last meal and sleep onset there was an increase of 0.39 h on diurnal sleep duration. Regarding food intake, every 1 g of fat and 1 g of carbohydrate consumed was associated with an increase in diurnal sleep onset latency of 0.13 h and 0.02 h, respectively. These findings suggest that both timing and composition of the last meal before bedtime may be potential key factors for good diurnal and nocturnal sleep among night-shift workers.