Affiliations: [a] Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, USA
| [b]
Center for Health Policy, Columbia University School of Nursing, New York, NY, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Pamela B. de Cordova, PhD, Assistant Professor of Nursing, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 180 University Avenue, Room 244, Newark, NJ 07102, USA. Tel.: +1 973 353 1691; Fax: +1 973 353 5681; E-mail: pam.decordova@rutgers.edu.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Shift workers have worse health outcomes than employees who work standard business hours. However, it is unclear how this poorer health shift may be related to employee work productivity. OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the relationship between shift work and errors and performance. METHODS:Searches of MEDLINE/PubMed, EBSCOhost, and CINAHL were conducted to identify articles that examined the relationship between shift work, errors, quality, productivity, and performance. All articles were assessed for study quality. RESULTS:A total of 435 abstracts were screened with 13 meeting inclusion criteria. Eight studies were rated to be of strong, methodological quality. Nine studies demonstrated a positive relationship that night shift workers committed more errors and had decreased performance. CONCLUSIONS:Night shift workers have worse health that may contribute to errors and decreased performance in the workplace.
