Assessment of Night-Shift Effects on Nurses' Health in Intensive Care Units in Some Hospitals of Nineveh Governorate

Background and Objectives: Iraqi hospitals needs the services of nurses throughout the 24 hours including night time, and it is very necessary to study the impacts of night work on nurses in many aspects such as physical health and work performance for those nurses. The nurses' health who working at night shift is essential issue that it should be have to take in considered. The night shift work may have a negative impact on the individual's health and ability to function, thus affecting the services provided. Therefore the study aimed to assess the effect of night shift on nurses in intensive care units at some hospitals of Nineveh governorate. Materials and Method: A descriptive study was conducted at five hospitals, which are Al-Salam hospital, Al-jumhory hospital, Ibn-Sena hospital, Al-hamdania hospital, and General Mosul hospital, (50) male and female nurses were chosen, A constructed questionnaire was used to collect the data from the 1st January 2013 to 1st March 2013. Data were analyze by using descriptive and inferential statistical (percentage, frequency, and chi-square). Results: The results reveal that there are significant relationship between the working at night shift and exposure of the nurses to some problems such as sleep disorders (32%), muscle strain (64%), persistent tiredness (32%), and exposure to needle stick injury (30%). Conclusion: the study concluded that nurses of all ages and of both gender are exposed to the risks of night shift work and these risks have negative impact on nurse's health. The majority of the nurses complained of a number of problems when working on night shift such as muscle strain, sleep disorders, tiredness, and occupational injuries. Key Words: night shift, intensive care units, nurses.