Effect of Shift Work on Personal Health and Service Quality Among Radiographers in the Western Province of the KSA: A Quantitative Study.

Abstract

Abstract Background: The term 'shift work' has been described in the scientific literature as any work arrangements that do not follow normal daytime working hours. Shift work in the hospital environment is a means of working that aims to coordinate between the work hours of medical and non-medical staff, thereby allowing an organisation to operate continuously. Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the effects, reasons and associated problems of night shifts on the health of the staff working in the radiology departments in the western province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This will be used to extract the associations between the causes and effects to identify adequate elimination methods. Methodology: The study surveyed most of the hospitals in the western province of the KSA to assess the impact of night shift work and the current related regulations. Thus, helping to identify corrective actions and policies to guarantee their personal health and an excellent service quality. The Google Forms online survey questionnaire was used to approach the study audience and to collate their response data. Results: The study extracted the impact level of night shifts on the radiography staff’s personal health, staff personal/family life and on service quality. The study findings demonstrate that sufficient daily sleep, equating to 6–8 hours, before a night shift is mandatory to attain focus during working hours. Furthermore, the findings demonstrated that night shift hours should not exceed six continuous hours and that the preparation of supporting facilities where staff can nap in between shifts will have a highly positive impact on service quality. Conclusion: Overall, the study indicated that radiography night shift workers are at risk of accidental radiation exposure, metabolic disorders, high blood pressure, digestive problems, depression and anxiety compared to those who work normal daytime working hours. Furthermore, the study also established the perspectives of radiography staff on best practices regarding night shift work and also generated scientific evidence on radiography staff shift work best practices in the KSA. Recommendations: Employers should be responsible for providing night workers with health services and ensuring they have access to food services. They should also ensure they are fit to work night shifts, staff should not be pregnant and in cases where they are, they must be transferred to working normal working hours.