Educational programmes for shiftworkers, their families, and prospective shiftworkers

The concept of educational programmes for shiftworkers has good face validity, but research verification is not evident in the literature. Efforts to date to provide users with extensive information are commendable, but they do not appear to be adequate for the education of shiftworkers. In some cases, this information may impede, distract, or mislead users. As a response to these deficits, seven principles are proposed to guide the designing of educational programmes for shiftworkers. These principles focus on the process of designing programmes, rather than on the specific behavioural techniques or variables to be used. Together, these principles form a process theory. This theory requires validity testing, and can serve as a useful guide for the design of shiftworker educational programmes.