Occupational Fatigue and Sleep Quality: A Comparison Between Nurses Working in Various Wards of Public Hospitals

 Background & Objective:  Fatigue is defined as a feeling of disability and weakness that leads to a reduction in the capacity of individuals to do their job and daily activities. Sleep disorders are one of the most important causes of fatigue in nurses. The present study aimed to determine the level of occupational fatigue and sleep quality among nurses working in various wards of public hospitals.  Materials & Methods:  This cross-sectional study was conducted on 234 nurses working in diverse wards of the two public hospitals affiliated to Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Iran selected by the convenience sampling method. The data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Finally, the data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and one-way analysis of variance using the SPSS software version 21. Results:  The mean sleep quality index of the nurses working in the nursing station was at the appropriate level (3.83±2.32), whereas the nurses working in other wards had an unsuitable level of sleep quality index. Moreover, the mean score of occupational fatigue was high among the nurses of female Post-cardiac Care Unit (post-CCU) (58.12±12.24) and moderate among the nurses of other hospital wards. The results of t-test indicated significantly lower mean scores of sleep latency, taking sleeping medications, and acute fatigue in nurses with a second job, compared to nurses with a single job (P<0.05). Conclusion:  Sleep problems and occupational fatigue in nurses of the female Post-CCU and nursing stations were higher and lower than the nurses working in the other hospital wards, respectively. Furthermore, the second job variable was found to be important and influential.