Abstract
Introduction:
Emergency department(ED) professionals who work in shifts are prone to burnout syndrome. The study was conducted to assess the effect of shift work on health of ED staff.

Methodology:
A cross-sectional survey was done by convenience sampling from 05-07-2018 to 11-08-2018. A self-designed questionnaire in Google.docs format was sent electronically to ED staff from Shifa International Hospital Islamabad and responses were collected.

Results:
A total of 49 participants responded with male preponderance (n=27, 55.1%). The majority (44.9%) were in the age group 24-29 years. Among all, 57.1% were physicians, 40.8% nurses, 2.1% being para-medical staff. Most shift workers were working between 40-50 hrs/week(73.5%), 5-6 days a week(67.3%), in rotating shifts(77.6%) with predominantly daily changes(42.9%) including nights shifts done by 79.6%.Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus, hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disease and mood disorder was found to be 4.1%, 8.2%, 0%, 2% and 12.2% respectively. Shift work was reported to be associated with increased caffeine intake by 61.2%, tiredness and sleep disturbances in 75.5%, dozing off during driving in 55.1% with 14.3% being involved in road traffic accidents. The majority (85.7%) missed social events in the last 60 days. Overall satisfaction was rated on a scale of 0-10 where zero was totally unsatisfied and 10 was fully satisfied. 30.6% participants reported their satisfaction at 5, 30.6% reported <5 and 38.8% reported >5. Majority participants believed shift work to be associated with negative effect on their physical(69.4%), mental(67.3%) and social(71.4%) well being.

Conclusion:
Professional burnout and negative effects on health are prevalent among shift workers in ED staff.

Key words: Professional burnout, Health, Sleep disorders, Physicians, Nurse, personal satisfaction