Does Ramadan Fasting Affect Fatigue in Nurses?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Ramadan fasting on fatigue in nurses. The study was conducted between June 19 and July 27, 2014, with a descriptive design. This study was completed with 99 nurses working in a public hospital in the city of Gaziantep located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. The data of the study were collected by using a questionnaire and the Piper Fatigue Scale. The Piper Fatigue Scale includes 4 subscale/dimensional scores and total fatigue scores. Higher scores indicate more fatigue. Statistical significance levels were set at P < .05. It was determined that the fatigue subscale and total mean scores of nurses increased in a statistically significant manner except for the affective subscale after the month of Ramadan (P < .05). In addition, it was found that the fatigue mean scores of those, who were working for 0 to 4 years, were employed in surgery units, and evaluated their health as bad, were higher (P > .05). The Ramadan fasting increased fatigue levels of nurses. Therefore, it is of vital importance to evaluate fatigue levels of nurses especially in the month of Ramadan and take the necessary precautions in terms of patient and personnel safety.

A Prospective Clinical Trial of Prolonged Fasting in Healthy Young Males and Females—Effect on Fatigue, Sleepiness, Mood and Body Composition

“…It could be that participants already back to their usual life style one week after RF. This study shows contradictory than the other studies that was done in nurse [ 19 ] and elite male judo athletes [ 30 ]. In the two latter studies, fatigue levels were increased.…”

“…Another reason could be that the different of assessment tools. Piper fatigue scale and fatigue abbreviated questionnaire were used in the two latter study, respectively [ 19 , 30 ] and FSS in this study.…”

“…In patients, RF should be carefully monitored by health professionals. Other studies also reported the effect of RF on young males [ 16 , 17 , 18 ], workers [ 19 ], tennis players [ 20 ] and taekwondo athletes [ 21 ].…”

Migrant Workers from the Eastern-Mediterranean Region and Occupational Injuries: A Retrospective Database-Based Analysis from North-Eastern Italy

“…More recently, Mertens and collaborators [5] in Belgium found that, in a sample of 20 fasting workers, daytime sleepiness moderately increased, whereas neuro-performance remained unaffected and concentration improved with large inter-individual differences. Other studies have investigated this topic in Arabic countries, reporting similar findings [6,8,25,31,32].…”

“…Among the risk factors specifically associated with some migrant worker groups, and particularly with peoples from EMRO countries, concerns on the potentially negative health effects of Ramadan fasting and higher risks of work-related injuries have increased in highly developed Western European (EURO) Countries [4][5][6][7].…”