EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF NIGHT SHIFTS ON ATTENTION AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION OF TRAKYA UNIVERSITY RESIDENTS USING THE TOWER OF HANOI TEST

Year 2020, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 20 - 25, 29.02.2020

Irmak İrem Özyiğit , Alperen Taha Certel Begüm Söyleyici Sezgin Kehaya

Abstract

Aims: This study aims to evaluate the effects of night shifts on attention and executive function among residents working at
Trakya University Hospital. Methods: This prospective study was performed between November 2019 – January 2020 on 83
residents working at Trakya University Hospital. The Tower of Hanoi test was used to measure the attention and function level of
two different groups of residents. The first group being residents working with night shifts and the other group being residents
with regular working hours. After the participants finished solving the puzzle, the number of moves and the finishing time were
recorded. The demographic data about smoking, coffee intake, sleep hours, departments, and hand dominance were also recorded. Results: The participants were composed of 36 (43.4 %) female and 47 (56.6 %) male residents. The difference in smoking
rate and sleep time between the two groups were found to be statistically significant whereas the difference between the completion time and moves was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Smoking and duration of sleep may affect the Tower of Hanoi
puzzle performance. Although residents working with night shifts did not under-perform, the importance of sleep for cognitive
skills such as attention and coordination cannot be underestimated. Stress caused by night shifts may affect reaction time for
problem-solving, but further studies are needed. Keywords: Nightshift, attention, Tower of Hanoi test

Keywords

Nightshift, attention, Tower of Hanoi test

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