Changes in work schedule affect headache frequency among Norwegian nurses: a 3-year-follow-up study.

OBJECTIVES: To explore whether changes in work schedule, number of night shifts and number of quick returns were related to changes in headache frequencies. METHODS: A longitudinal study with questionnaire data from 2014 (baseline) and 2017 (follow-up) on work schedule (day only, shift work without nights and shift work with nights), number of night shifts, number of quick returns (less than 11 hours in-between shifts) and validated headache diagnoses among 1104 Norwegian nurses. Associations were explored by adjusted multivariate regression analyses. RESULTS: The median age at baseline was 37 years (IQR 31-43) and 90.5% were women. In the adjusted logistic regression analysis of changed work schedule between baseline and follow-up, changing from night work was associated with increased odds for reversion from headache >1 days/month to no headache at all last year (OR 2.77 (1.29; 5.95)). Changes towards less night shifts (>10) or quick returns (>10) during the last year were associated with increased odds of reversion of headache to no headache (OR 2.23 (1.20; 4.17) and OR 1.90 (1.04; 3.49)). Only decrease in number of night shifts (>10) during the last year reduced risk of onset of any new headache between baseline and follow-up (OR of 0.39 (0.18; 0.84)). CONCLUSION: Changing from night work and reducing the number of night shifts and quick returns were associated with less headache in this 3-year-follow-up of Norwegian nurses. This adds to the growing body of evidence that night work may have direct negative health consequences.

Suicide rates among health-care professionals in Norway 1980-2021.

BACKGROUND: Suicide rates have been high in several health-care professions. Suicide rates were described in physicians, dentists, veterinarians, psychologists, pharmacists, nurses, as well as theologians, other graduates and the general population in Norway. METHODS: Data on educational attainment were linked to data on suicide and all-cause mortality from 1980 to 2021. Suicide rates were reported per 100,000 person-years. The total number of person-years included in the study was 66.4 and 67.2 million for males and females, respectively. RESULTS: Between 1980 and 2021, male veterinarians (35.9, 95 % CI 19.3-52.4), physicians (25.7, 21.3-30.2) and nurses (22.2, 16.6-27.7) had higher suicide rates compared others with higher education (11.7, 10.7-12.7). For females, this was the case for psychologists (15.0, 8.2-21.7) and nurses (9.3, 8.3-10.3), vs. others with higher education (5.1, 4.2-6.0). Suicide rates declined over the four decades for most groups. For physicians, suicide rates declined and approached the suicide rate of others with higher education. Suicide rates among physicians increased with age, with physicians over 60 years having twice as high suicide rates compared to others with higher education. LIMITATIONS: The study included only educational status, not current occupation or employment status. This is a descriptive study, with some known risk factors for suicide not accounted for. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide rates for physicians declined over time, but not for nurses. From 2010 to 2021, nurses of both genders was the only group with higher suicide rates compared to other graduates. The increased suicide rates among veterinarians, nurses, female psychologists and elderly physicians are concerning.

Supplier inducement--its relative effect on demand and utilization.

The present study examined the relative effect of supplier inducement on demand as opposed to on utilization. Supply of dentists was measured as population: dentist ratio at the level of trade areas. The dependent variable was number of dental visits during the last year. The probability of having any visit was used as the measure of demand. Number of visits, conditional upon having any visit, was used as the measure of utilization. The data were analyzed using Tobit analysis. This analysis gave the fraction of the total effect of a marginal increase in supply that is due to an increase in utilization as opposed to an increase in demand. The analysis was performed on a national sample comprising 1186 adult Norwegians. Supplier inducement had nearly the same effect on demand as on utilization. This finding may be a result of the payment system for dental care, which relates each item of service to the average time it takes to perform that item. Income opportunities for dentists are then fairly independent of whether they spend their time doing check-ups or treatment. The finding indicates that supplier induced demand is a factor to consider in addition to supplier induced utilization when one tries to explain how supplier inducement may affect the unequal distribution of dentists.

Anaesthesiological manpower in Europe.

Information about physician anaesthesiologist manpower in the countries of the European Union was collected from questionnaires sent to the delegates representing their respective countries on the European Board of Anaesthesiology. In the countries of the European Union and Switzerland and Norway 40,259 specialist anaesthesiologists are recorded. The number of anaesthesiologists in relation to population varies between as little as 4.4 and 4.6 (Ireland and UK) and as many as 15.6 (Italy), with a mean of 10.8/100,000 inhabitants. There are 11,610 physicians recorded in training in anaesthesiology. The ratio of trainees to specialists in the European Union countries was 28.8/100, varying from as low as 6.5 in France, to as high as 96.7 and 98/100 in Ireland and the UK respectively. These figures indicate a wide difference in the numbers of specialists and trainees between the European countries studied. However, the overall mean figure is close to that reported in the USA (9.2/100,000).