Increased errors and decreased performance at night: A systematic review of the evidence concerning shift work and quality

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.