Shift Schedule With Fewer Short Daily Rest Periods and Sickness Absence Among Health Care Workers: A Cluster...

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Health Services Research
• Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Short daily rest periods (less than 11 hours between shifts) are common in some shift work arrangements, but their impact on worker health is not well understood.
• Healthcare workers are particularly susceptible to the negative consequences of inadequate rest due to demanding work schedules.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of reducing short daily rest periods on sickness-related absence among healthcare workers.
• To assess the cost-benefit analysis of implementing longer rest periods between shifts.

Main Methods:

• A 2-arm cluster-randomized clinical trial involving 811 healthcare workers across 66 hospital units.
• The intervention group experienced a 6-month schedule with reduced short daily rest periods, while the control group maintained their usual schedule.
• Sickness-related absence days and spells were compared between groups over 5 months, with economic returns estimated using cost-benefit analysis.

Main Results:

• The intervention group's short daily rest periods were halved, while the control group's remained unchanged.
• A significant reduction in sickness-related absence days (IRR, 0.56) and spells (IRR, 0.73) was observed in the intervention group compared to the control group.
• The intervention yielded a positive net economic return of approximately $213,600 over 5 months.

Conclusions:

• Reducing the frequency of short daily rest periods positively impacts healthcare worker attendance and reduces sickness-related absences.
• Implementing longer rest periods (≥11 hours) between shifts is recommended for organizational practices and policy to improve worker well-being and reduce healthcare costs.