Revista nº 807

Ranchal-Sánchez et al. Progressive ageing of hospital working population Actualidad Médica · Número 807 · Mayo/Agosto 2019 Páginas 92 a 97 · 96 · and other factors, including the dual presence of female nurses (20), caring for other people in the family environment or other aspects such as shifts. Unlike physicians, who enjoy the privilege of choosing to opt out of night shifts from the age of 55, this is more complicated for nursing staff. Some studies show that the impact of sustained night shifts on nurses’ health (21). In the literature (17,18,22) we can find the reasons the lead to the early retirement of nurses. Among them are rotating shifts and night shifts which alter their circadian rhythms, restricting their time for personal life. There is also mention of physical problems, a lack of time to attend to family tasks, the use of new technologies, feeling under-appreciated (both economically and socially) in spite of the experience they possess or feeling discriminated against based on ageist stereotypes. Indeed, various authors (23-27) suggest measures to prevent early retirement. Among them are better recognition for experience after years of work, avoiding stereotypes and prejudice; ergonomic improvements to facilitate the work of nurses (for example, larger screens for better visualization); sharing work, redesigning working methods to reduce workload; shorter shifts; flexible organisation; training courses for older nurses (both in new technologies and any other area, with the same conditions as for younger nurses), or progressive dedication to training to transfer their knowledge and experience to new generations. With respect to night shifts, it would be reasonable to allow nurses aged over 55 to opt out from this age, as is the case for physicians, and that these shifts are progressively assumed by younger nurses. This would reduce the excessive load on ageing staff, mitigating the social, health and economic consequences in terms of damage to the maintenance of the welfare state. One limitation of the study may be the number of staff with temporary contracts at the time of the study (January) compared to other times of year such as the summer months. On the other hand, we believe that the strength of the utility that studies such as this may have as an instrument for the monitoring of collective health, and the implications for shaping health policies and management by taking into account how the working population is progressing in the health system with a view to implementing the necessary measures. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the study carried out in a referral hospital shows a working population that has aged and has been further feminised over the last decade, especially in nursing. The shift towards older age brackets a decade on is striking, with the working population over 50 constituting more than 50% of the personnel, with the average age of the working population at the centre having also increased. Within the nursing population, the narrowing of the 51 to 55 age bracket is also striking, the lack of young staff and an ever increasing fall off in the age bracket of retirement age. These are facts which must draw the attention of managers to put in place realistic and efficient measures that promote the “active ageing” so often spoken of as well as others that facilitate the entry into the labour market of young nurses, especially in a country, Spain, with such a high rate of youth unemployment. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. 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