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Objectives: To elucidate the role and pathways of psychosocial home demands, psychosocial home resources, and psychosocial job resources in relation to sickness absence among nurses working in residential elder care., Methods: Longitudinal (SEM) analyses with bootstrapping with a 1 year follow-up among 365 nurses were performed. Survey data and registered sickness absence data were used., Results: A complete mediation model showed the best fit. More psychosocial job resources (β = -1.50) like "work schedule fit with private life" predicted less and more psychosocial home demands (β = 0.62) predicted more psychosomatic health complaints. The job resources and home demands predicted sickness absence duration and episodes 1-year later mediated through nurses' health., Conclusions: More attention is needed for nurses' work schedule fit with private life and their home demands to potentially reduce health-related sickness absence among nurses working in residential elder care.

Background: Shiftwork is a major job demand for nurses and has been related to various negative consequences. Research suggests that personal and job resources moderate the impact of work schedules on stress, health and well-being., Objectives: This longitudinal study examined whether the interactions of personal and job resources with work schedule demands predicted work engagement and emotional exhaustion in nursing., Design: This longitudinal study included two waves of data collection with a one year follow-up using self-report questionnaires among 247 nurses working shifts or irregular working hours in residential care for the elderly in the Netherlands., Methods: Moderated structural equation modelling was conducted to examine the interactions between personal and job resources and work schedule demands. Two work schedule demands were assessed: type of work schedule (demanding vs. less demanding) and average weekly working hours. Two personal resources, active coping and healthy lifestyle, and two job resources, work schedule control and the work schedule fit with nurses' private life, were assessed., Results: Results showed that the work schedule fit with nurses' private life buffered the relationship between work schedule demands and emotional exhaustion one year later. Furthermore, the work schedule fit with nurses' private life increased work engagement one year later when work schedule demands were high. Work schedule control strengthened the positive relationship between work schedule demands and emotional exhaustion one year later. The personal resources, active coping and healthy lifestyle were no moderators in this model., Conclusion: Nurses suffer less from decreasing work engagement and emotional exhaustion due to work schedule demands when their work schedules fit with their private lives. Work schedule control did not buffer, but strengthened the positive relationship between weekly working hours and emotional exhaustion one year later. Job resources appeared to be more important for nurses' well-being than personal resources. These findings highlight the importance of the fit of a work schedule with nurse's private life, if the work schedule is demanding., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Purpose: There is scarce research on age and sustainable employability of nurses working in various types of work schedules. Earlier research showed that nurses working in work schedules differ regarding age. Different operationalisations of age might explain variations in sustainable employability. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate how nurses working in various types of work schedule differ regarding sustainable employability, and the role that age plays in these differences. Age was defined as chronological age, organisational age, life-span age, and functional age., Method: Questionnaires were distributed to 974 Dutch nurses in residential elder care (response rate 51 %) with questions about the type of work schedule, aspects of sustainable employability, various operationalisations of age, and registered sickness absence data were used., Results: Nurses working in various types of work schedules differed regarding aspects of sustainable employability, also when operationalisations of age were added. The 'life-span age' was directly related to aspects of sustainable employability. Statistically, work ability and job satisfaction were only explained by varying operationalisations of age., Conclusions: Nurses' sustainable employability appeared to be mainly related to differences between the types of work schedule rather than age. Fixed early shifts are characterised by the most positive aspects of sustainable employability, and three rotating schedules score worst. To improve sustainable employability, organisations should implement a system in which nurses with different types of work schedule are monitored in combination with their life-span perspective.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were (i) To establish whether it is possible to assess by means of a check-list in a reliable way errors which violated biomechanical and ergonomical principles during nursing tasks, and (ii) to study the effectiveness of an ergonomic-educational course by using this check-list., Materials and Methods: Trainees (n = 12) and a control group of nurses (n = 12) who did not attend the course, performed three nursing activities at three points in time under standardized conditions; once before and twice after the course had ended. Their performances were recorded on video. A check-list was developed to assess the number of ergonomic errors made during the test performances. Two observers completed the check-lists after having watched five videotapes, and one of them did this for a second time 3 weeks later, in order to assess inter- and intra-observer reliability. In addition the tapes of all nurses were scored and analysed on differences in the performance of the two groups at the three points in time. Percentage of agreement and kappa (kappa) was used to express inter- and intra-observer reliability. Student's t-test was used to analyse the differences in mean percentages of errors., Results: The inter- and intra-observer reliability were 92% with kappa of 0.84 and 93% with kappa of 0.86, respectively. Further results showed that the mean percentages of errors made by the control group remained the same at the three measurement times. However, in the trainee group a significant decrease in errors was found. The trainees made fewer errors at all three points in time than the controls did., Conclusion: It appears feasible to create a check-list to assess ergonomic errors in a reliable way. Trainees make fewer errors after an ergonomic-educational course. It is necessary, however to evaluate whether trained nurses work more safely in their daily duties than during the study.