Chronobiology at the service of Occupational Health: Highlights for the older worker

Chronobiology studies the organic rhythmic processes, and is now a science that interacts with different areas of learning. In the specific context of Occupational Health, it studies various topics relative to performance, risk of accidents, characteristics of the work shift and the changes that age brings the worker, so that its contribution brings an undeniable advantage for Medicine Labor and Health and Safety. There is thus the purpose of summarizing what is most relevant and recent about this area, with particular emphasis on the aging worker. The research was done in the databases "MEDLINE with Full Text, MedicLatina, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Plus with full text, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews, Cochrane Methodology Register, Nursing and Allied Health Collection, Health Technology Assess and NHS Economic Evaluation Database", using the keywords "chronobiology, work, acting / aging / older". The selection criteria were related to access to full text, in English, Spanish or Portuguese; most recent date of publication (less than 2000) and relevance to the objective of the review. Increased longevity means that workers have the tendency to work more years. The advancing age seems to worsen the adaptability to shift work. The professional team of Occupational Health will own an asset is knowing the basic principles of chronobiology, associated with the context of changes that occur with aging, so as to acquire skills to transpose into their daily practice and thus the resulting benefits for employee and employer and, indirectly, to their own team of Occupational Health.