Cent Eur J Public Health 2020 Oct;28 Suppl:S53-S56 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a6210

Are our nurses healthy? Cardiorespiratory fitness in a very exhausting profession

Markéta Sovová1, Eliška Sovová1, Marie Nakládalová2, Tereza Pokorná1, Lenka Štégnerová1, Oldřich Masný1, Katarína Moravcová1, Ladislav Štěpánek2
1 Department of Exercise Medicine and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc and University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
2 Department of Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc and University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

Objectives: Low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is related to higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, increase in all-cause mortality and higher risk of different tumors. The reverse is also true; improvement in CRF is related to decrease in mortality. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a standard and also the most precise test for determination of CRF - the best possibility is the maximal test measuring different parameters including maximal oxygen consumption. Healthcare professionals throughout the developed world have markedly high rates of sickness absence, burnout, and distress compared to other sectors and this leads to higher risk factors. The study aimed to assess CRF in a group of nurses in a big hospital and compare it with population norms and available published results.

Methods: Nurses over 50 years of age working in one faculty hospital were gradually included in the study from the beginning of 2018. These nurses work in physically demanding positions. A CPET was carried out following the Bruce protocol.

Results: 90 nurses (84 females and 6 males), mean age 55.7 years, were evaluated by CPET. The resting blood pressure was within the norm in 58 persons (64.44%), maximal oxygen consumption in 61 persons (67.8%), W/kg in 25 persons (46.2%). We detected a hypertension reaction in 28 persons (31.1%), some types of arrhythmia in 17 persons (18.9%) and signs of ischaemia in 8 persons (8.9%). The result of CPET led to further examination in 42 persons (46.6%). Detailed examination resulted in change of medication in 21 nurses (23.3%). New diseases were diagnosed in 15 nurses (hypertension, atrial fibrillation, mitral valve prolapse indicated for cardiac surgery, coronary artery stenosis, and lipid disorders).

Conclusions: It was concluded that the usage of CPET during the regular medical check-ups significantly increases detection of hidden diseases and thus improves the care for nurses.

Keywords: cardiorespiratory fitness, exercise testing, maximal oxygen consumption, nurse

Received: March 25, 2020; Revised: August 2, 2020; Accepted: August 2, 2020; Published: October 18, 2020  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Sovová M, Sovová E, Nakládalová M, Pokorná T, Štégnerová L, Masný O, et al.. Are our nurses healthy? Cardiorespiratory fitness in a very exhausting profession. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2020;28(Supplement):S53-56. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a6210. PubMed PMID: 33069182.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Schmid D, Leitzmann MF. Cardiorespiratory fitness as predictor of cancer mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Oncol. 2015;26(2):272-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    2. Kodama S, Saito K, Tanaka S, Maki M, Yachi Y, Asumi M, et al. Cardiorespiratory fitness as a quantitative predictor of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events in healthy men and women: a meta analysis. JAMA. 2009 May 20;301(19):2024-35. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    3. Lee DC, Artero EG, Sui X, Blair SN. Mortality trends in the general population: the importance of cardiorespiratory fitness. J Psychopharmacol. 2010 Nov;24(4 Suppl):27-35. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    4. Ross R, Blair SN, Arena R, Church TS, Després JP, Franklin BA, et al. Importance of assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in clinical practice: a case for fitness as a clinical vital sign: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2016;134(24):e653-99. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    5. Lamoureux NR, Fitzgerald JS, Norton KI, Sabato T, Tremblay MS, Tomkinson GR. Temporal trends in the cardiorespiratory fitness of 2,525,827 adults between 1967 and 2016: a systematic review. Sports Med. 2019;49(1):41-55. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. World Health Organization. Global strategy on diet, physical activity and health [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2019 [cited 2020 Feb 27]. Available from: https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/pa/en/.
    7. Davidson T, Vainshelboim B, Kokkinos P, Myers J, Ross R. Cardiorespiratory fitness versus physical activity as predictors of all-cause mortality in men. Am Heart J. 2018;196:156-62. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Kelly M, Wills J. Systematic review: What works to address obesity in nurses? Occup Med (Lond). 2018;68(4):228-38. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    9. Yu E, Rimm E, Qi L, Rexrode K, Albert CM, Sun Q, et al. Diet, lifestyle, biomarkers, genetic factors, and risk of cardiovascular disease in the Nurses' Health Studies. Am J Public Health. 2016;106(9):1616-23. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Seliger V, Bartůněk Z. Mean values of various indices of physical fitness in the investigation of Czechoslovak population aged 12-55 years. Prague: Czechoslovak Association of Physical Culture; 1976.
    11. Mácek M, Seliger V, Vávra J, Skranc O, Horák J, Piric M, et al. Physical fitness of the Czechoslovak population between the ages of 12 and 55 years. Oxygen consumption and pulse oxygen. Physiol Bohemoslov. 1979;28(1):75-87. Go to PubMed...
    12. Fletcher GF, Ades PA, Kligfield P, Arena R, Balady GJ, Bittner VA, et al. Exercise standards for testing and training: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2013;128(8):873-934. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    13. Williams B, Mancia G, Spiering W, Rosei EA, Azizi M, Burnier M, et al. 2018 ESC/ESH guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension. Kardiol Pol. 2019;77(2):71-159. (In Polish.) Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. Gerber M, Lindwall M, Lindegård A, Börjesson M, Jonsdottir IH. Cardiorespiratory fitness protects against stress-related symptoms of burnout and depression. Patient Educ Couns. 2013;93(1):146-52. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Takken T, Mylius CF, Paap D, Broeders W, Hulzebos HJ, Van Brussel M, et al. Reference values for cardiopulmonary exercise testing in healthy subjects - an updated systematic review. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2019;17(6):413-26. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Kaminsky LA, Imboden MT, Arena R, Myers J. Reference standards for cardiorespiratory fitness measured with cardiopulmonary exercise testing using cycle ergometry: data from the fitness registry and the importance of exercise national database (FRIEND) registry. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017;92(2):228-33. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Fair JM, Gulanick M, Braun LT. Cardiovascular risk factors and lifestyle habits among preventive cardiovascular nurses. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2009;24(4):277-86. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Ogunmoroti O, Utuama O, Spatz ES, Rouseff M, Parris D, Das S, et al. Trends in ideal cardiovascular health metrics among employees of a large healthcare organization (from the Baptist Health South Florida Employee Study). Am J Cardiol. 2016;117(5):787-93. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Khazraee T, Fararouei M, Daneshmandi H, Mobasheri F, Zamanian Z. Maximal oxygen consumption, respiratory volume and some related factors in fire-fighting personnel. Int J Prev Med. 2017 Apr 13;8:25. doi: 10.4103/ijpvm.IJPVM_299_16. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. Lyytikäinen K, Toivonen L, Hynynen E, Lindholm H, Kyröläinen H. Recovery of rescuers from a 24-h shift and its association with aerobic fitness. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2017;30(3):433-44. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    21. Kettunen O, Vuorimaa T, Vasankari T. A 12-month exercise intervention decreased stress symptoms and increased mental resources among working adults - Results perceived after a 12-month follow-up. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2015;28(1):157-68. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. Jirák Z, Lvončík S, Tomášková H, Buzga M, Trlicová M, Tekletová D. Criteria for evaluating working physical fitness of mine rescuers. Prac Lek. 2013;65(1-2):6-13. (In Czech.)
    23. Genin PM, Dessenne P, Finaud J, Pereira B, Dutheil F, Thivel D, et al. Effect of work-related sedentary time on overall health profile in active vs. inactive office workers. Front Public Health. 2018 Oct 1;6:279. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2018.00279. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    24. Duffy E, Avalos G, Dowling M. Secondary traumatic stress among emergency nurses: a cross-sectional study. Int Emerg Nurs. 2015;23(2):53-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    25. Ferri P, Guadi M, Marcheselli L, Balduzzi S, Magnani D, Di Lorenzo R. The impact of shift work on the psychological and physical health of nurses in a general hospital: a comparison between rotating night shifts and day shifts. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2016;9:203-11. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    26. Kaletová M, Sovová E, Nakládalová M, Benušová I, Doupalová P, Lukl J. Smoking in nurses. Prac Lek. 2005;57(2):87-90. (In Czech.)
    27. Lui JNM, Andres EB, Johnston JM. Presenteeism exposures and outcomes amongst hospital doctors and nurses: a systematic review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018 Dec 19;18(1):985. doi: 10.1186/s12913-018-3789-z. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    28. Power BT, Kiezebrink K, Allan JL, Campbell MK. Understanding perceived determinants of nurses' eating and physical activity behaviour: a theory-informed qualitative interview study. BMC Obes. 2017 May 9;4:18. doi: 10.1186/s40608-017-0154-4. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    29. Sovová E, Nakládalová M, Kaletová M, Lukl J, Benušová I, Doupalová P. Determination of occurrence of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in the stafff of an insurance company as a part of preventive examination: Does this group differ from health professionals? Prac Lek. 2006;58(1): 5-8. (In Czech.)
    30. Das S, Rouseff M, Guzman HE, Osondu CU, Brown D, Betancourt B, et al. Impact of lifestyle modification on cardiometabolic risk factors in health-care employees with type 2 diabetes. Am J Health Promot. 2019;33(5):745-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    Return to the content