Nurses working longer nightshifts

Japan Press Weekly

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Nurses working longer nightshifts

There has been an increase in working hours of medical workers who work nightshifts, their union has determined in its research.

The research survey, published by the Japan Federation of Medical Workers’ Unions (Iroren) on November 12, was responded to by 38,137 nurses working in 1,519 wards at 245 medical and welfare facilities.

It shows that 81.6 percent of respondents work a three-shift system, while 18.4 percent work in two shifts. The rate of the two-shift system has increased by 10.1 percent since 2005.

Among the nurses at facilities operating two shifts, 73.2 percent work more than 16 hours during the nightshift.

Out of those who work three shifts, 82.4 percent work eight days of nightshifts each month, and nearly 20 percent work at night nine times a month. The nurse-related law prohibits nurses from working at night more than nine days monthly.

Sasaki Tsukasa, head of the Chronic Fatigue Research Center in the Institute for Science of Labour, said, “It is a problem that an increasing number of nurses are working two shifts.”

Stating that nurses who work more than 12.5 hours at night are more likely to make mistakes while at work and cause car accidents on their way home, Sasaki said, “(Working long hours at night) is harmful to not only nurses’ health and living conditions but also patients’ safety.”

Iroren Chair Tanaka Chieko pointed out that nurses’ working conditions are worsening as patients get older, their conditions become more severe, and reliance on medical technologies increases. “In order to secure patients’ safety, nurses’ working conditions need to drastically improve,” she stressed.

- Akahata, November 13, 2009