Shift work and work related injuries among health care workers: A systematic review

Objective To review the published scientific literature for studies analysing the associations between shift work and work related injuries among health care workers. Design Systematic review. Methods The following selection criteria were used to systematically search the literature: primary research studies published in English; target populations were health care workers engaged in shiftwork; and outcome measures were work related injury/injuries. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by the authors using a standardised procedure. Synthesis of data is presented in text and tabular format. Meta-analysis was not possible due to the heterogenic nature of the studies reviewed. Results This review retrieved 13 studies that met all inclusion criteria, none of which were conducted in Australia. The majority of study findings have shown that shift work is associated with a higher incidence or risk of sustaining work related injuries. However, most studies were cross sectional in design. The only case control study presented contrary results to the other studies. Furthermore, all study results could have been biased or confounded due to methodological limitations. Conclusions The relationship between shift work and work related injuries amongst health care workers could not be determined due to the relatively low level of evidence. High quality analytic studies should be conducted to provide better results explaining the causal relationship.