SleepShifters: The Co-Development of a Preventative Sleep Management Programme for Shift Workers and Their Employers

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Sleep Medicine
• Intervention Science

Background:

• Shift work poses risks to employee wellbeing, safety, and productivity.
• Existing interventions often fail to address the unique challenges of shift work.
• Proactive sleep management is crucial for mitigating negative health outcomes in shift workers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the co-development process of the SleepShifters program.
• To outline the protocol for the SleepShifters intervention.
• To provide a framework for managing sleep issues in shift workers.

Main Methods:

• Co-development using a Medical Research Council framework.
• Iterative, four-stage process involving focus groups and interviews with stakeholders.
• Partnership with four UK organizations to ensure practical applicability.

Main Results:

• Developed SleepShifters, a comprehensive sleep management program.
• Program includes a handbook, annual events, digital modules, awareness campaigns, a website with CBT-I, and a scheduling app.
• Intervention designed for early implementation in employment.

Conclusions:

• SleepShifters offers a structured, co-produced approach to shift worker sleep management.
• The program aims to prevent sleep problems and their consequences.
• Further research will evaluate the effectiveness of SleepShifters in organizational settings.