Comparison of Fatigue, Quality of Life, Turnover Intention, and Safety Incident Frequency between 2-Shift and 3-Shift Korean Nurses

This study aimed to compare the fatigue, quality of life, turnover intention, and safety incident frequency between 2- and 3-shift nurses, and analyze their perceptions of the 2-shift system. Participants were 227 nurses working for one year or more in a tertiary hospital in Seoul, South Korea (113 were 2-shift nurses for two months or longer, and 114 were 3-shift nurses with no experience of 2-shift work). The Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery Scale (OFER) and Quality of Life Scale were used. Turnover intention, safety incident frequency, and perceptions of the 2-shift system were surveyed by questionnaires developed by the researchers. Results showed that 2-shift nurses had lower chronic fatigue (t = −2.38, p = 0.018) and higher recovery between shifts (t = 3.90, p < 0.001) and quality of life scores than 3-shift nurses (t = 3.69, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences for turnover intention (t = −1.48, p = 0.140), frequency of needlestick accidents (t = 0.30, p = 0.763), medication errors (t = −1.46, p = 0.146), or near-miss medication errors (t = 0.78, p = 0.437). Two-shift nurses found it easier to secure rest and personal leisure time, and their shift system was shown to improve work satisfaction by increasing the continuity of care. Additional research is necessary to examine how nurses’ health status and emotional satisfaction vary by shift type.