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A study was conducted for the purpose of contributing to the development of nursing activities and improvement of nursing quality by comparing and analyzing the physical and mental health states of fixed duty nurses on day time only and of nurses whose duty include night-shift, and grasping the affecting factors to the physical and mental health The data were collected from 211 night-shift nurses and 189 day-shift nursesof 5 major medical centers, each of which has more than 400 sick-bed during. March the first throught 20th, 1993. The researcher visited the Hospital and distributed the questionnaire to the nurses, and performed a brief Cornell Medical Index(CMI), which was modified, and standardized for Koreans, by Ko, Woonglin and Park, Hyangbae. The questionnaire was composed of total 134 items (Cronbach’s α=.9703), 88 items of which were for physical status (Cronbach’s α=.9581), and 46 items of which was design for mental status (Cronbach’s α=.9482). Data were processed with SPSS, a computerized software, t-test were used for comparing physical and mental health states of the 2 groups. The general characteristics were obtained through frequency and percentage. X²-test was conducted to identify two groups’ homogeneity. The result of study shows that changes of life-style such as irregular meal habits, insufficient sleeping and physical and mental tensions, etc, during the night-shift resulted in most of physical, and mental health problems in the vast majority of the nurses with night-shift. If such altered habits continued, diseases such as chronic headache, gastaic distress or gastritis, chronic mental stress, insomnia an skin raises, etc, might take place. Although the nurses are required to accept night-shift as a part of their duties, it is much stressed for them to positively accept night-shift and to establish a regular, life-style including sleep pattern during this stressful period. By doing so, they may not feel night duty more painful than day-shift, and their health status may improve. Also nurses themselves have to do their to their own henlth management.
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