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BackgroundShiftwork and long work hours have been reported as significant risk factors for nurses’ burnout. In addition, whether nurses have ability to controltheir own schedule, such as having options and decision over swapping shifts or taking unpaid leave, remain lacking.ObjectiveTo examine the associations between nurses’ work schedule control (WSC) and their effect on burnout.MethodA total of 3431 fulltime registered nurses working in the hospital were systematically sampled in 2013. A structured self-administered questionnaire was performed to assess nurses’ WSC, work schedule demands (WSDs) and their effect on burnout. The WSC was assessed by asking nurses’ experiences of requesting leave. Personal and client burnout status were measured using the Chinese version of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyse the associations between nurses’ WSC and their effect on burnout. The WSDs, including shiftwork patterns and average weekly working hours, were controlled.ResultsA total of 2631 questionnaires were eligible for final analysis. Only 5% of participants experienced unrestricted leave. After adjusting for demographic data, both average weekly working hours and unrestricted leave were significantly associated with nurses’ personal and client burnout. Nurses exposed to rotating shift work were more likely to experience client burnout.ConclusionThis study identified that work schedule control (WSC) was related to personal and client burnout among hospital nurses. Hospitals wishing to proactively reduce nurses’ burnout maypermit more unrestricted leaves when requested by the staff nurse.

BackgroundCertain proportion of workers developed psychological symptoms within 1 year after occupational injury. Mental health is associated with overall health status. However, few studies examined the effect of psychological symptoms after occupational injury on long­-term health status. This study aims to determine the impact of psychological symptoms within 1 year after occupational injury on health status six years later.Method2308 workers who sustained an occupational injury in 2009 and responded to a survey at 3 or 12 months after their injury were followed up in 2015. At 6 years after the injury, they were invited to participate in a questionnaire survey, which included return-to-work condition and self-rated health status.Population attributable risks (PARs) were estimated to assess the effect of psychological symptom on self-­rated poor health.ResultsA total of 570 workers (33.5%) completed the questionnaire. Injured workers who had adverse life event within follow-up period, had family member requiring care, did not return-to-work within 1 year after the injury, had severe psychological symptom within 1 year after the injury, and whose physical appearance was severely affected had a higher risk of self-rated poor health. Adverse life event within follow-up period was most important factor, accounting for 34.3% of self-perceived poor health, followed by severe psychological symptom within 1 year after the injury (15.0%), and severely affected physical appearance (11.7%).ConclusionInjury severity and severe psychological symptoms after occupational injury were risk factors for poor health status. Interventions addressing these factors are warranted to reduce psychological ailments after occupational injury.

ObjectiveTo understand the psychosocial effects of needlestick injuries (NSIs) among nurses working in different healthcare settings.MethodA total of 5535 fulltime registered nurses (RN) working among secondary referral hospitals (SRH) or primary clinics (PC) were recruited between 2009 and 2010. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to assess nurses’ psychosocial working conditions and their experiences of NSIs. The psychosocial working conditions were assessed by the Chinese Job Content Questionnaire and a workplace justice scale. The NSIs were assessed by asking nurses’ experiences of NSIs in the past 12 months. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyse the associations between psychosocial factors and NSIs.ResultsA total of 1032 and 1020 eligible questionnaires for SRH and PC nurses were included for final analysis. The incidence rate of NSIs was 15.2% for SRH nurses and 19.9% for PC nurses. Shift work (AOR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.2, 3.0) and high psychological demands (AOR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.1) were identified as risk factors of the annual incidence of NSIs among SRH nurses, whilst the risk factors of the annual NSIs included low job control (AOR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.0) and low workplace justice (AOR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1, 2.4) among PC nurses.ConclusionThis study identified that the psychosocial factors of nurses’ NSIs varied across different healthcare settings. Specific strategies for different healthcare settings to prevent nurses’ NSIs are warranted.