Abstract
This study was aimed to compare health problems and health care behaviors between clinical nurses
and non-clinical nurses. This study used secondary data from Health and Working Life of Thai Nurses
Project that collected data from registered nurses who hold nursing licenses granted by the Thai Nursing
and Midwifery Council during 2002-2009. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis with frequency,
percent, mean and standard deviation and using Chi-Square test for comparison.
Results: Total of 18,763 registered nurses includes 15,773 of clinical nurses (84.1%) and 2,992 of nonclinical
nurses (15.9%). Musculoskeletal diseases were the most common health problem in both clinical
and non-clinical nurses, 47.8% of clinical nurses and 53.7% of non-clinical nurses, followed by dyslipidemia,
hypertension and viral hepatitis. Clinical nurses experienced insomnia and job strain higher than nonclinical
nurses. In terms of health care behaviors, findings revealed that both clinical and non-clinical
nurses had awareness to get regular checkup. The non-clinical nurses preferred to visit medical specialist
more often than the clinical nurses, but used prescription drugs less often than clinical nurses.
