Citation

Sumińska S, Nowak K, Łukomska B, Cygan HB. Int. J. Occup. Safety Ergonomics 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Centralny Instytut Ochrony Pracy - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10803548.2020.1773117

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Working shifts has a negative impact on employee health and cognitive efficiency. The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of shift work on cognitive functions - attention and working memory - using both behavioural and electrophysiological measures. Materials and method: The study was carried out on a group of 34 shift employees: 18 paramedics, 16 firefighters and 17 day workers. The participant performed Attention Network Test (ANT) and N-back task with 2 conditions (1-back, 2-back) while EEG signal was recorded.

RESULTS: There were observed higher amplitude of the P200 potential in paramedics (compare to control group), higher amplitude of the P300 potential after work than on a day off, the lowest increase in power in the theta band after the night shift. In firefighters a lower alpha desynchronisation and lower synchronisation in the alpha/beta band was observed after a 24-hour shift. Paramedics and firefighters had longer reaction times (N-back).

CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that paramedics experiences problems with sustained attention. Paramedics process visual stimuli in a different way; after a night shift, performing the tasks required more engagement of cognitive resources. In firefighters, a decrease in the visual attention functions and cognitive inhibition was observed.

Language: en

Keywords

paramedics; firefighters; working memory; attention; cognitive functions; shift work