Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis on the associations between short rest periods between shifts and health, function, and behavioral outcomes

Purpose:
This paper presents a protocol for a planned systematic review and meta-analysis that will investigate the impact of short rest periods between shifts (i.e., quick returns, <11 h rest) on various outcomes in terms of physical health of workers (e.g., cardiovascular disease, infections, headaches, back pain) and/or mental health of workers (e.g., anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep problems, insomnia, impaired mental health), as well as sickness absence (proxy of health), work performance (e.g., occupational accidents), social factors (e.g., social support), and psychosocial work-related factors (e.g., job satisfaction). The planned review further aims to identify different types of quick returns, such as evening to day shift and night to evening shift, and examine their relationship to these outcomes provided a sufficient number of studies (e.g., ≥5). The research will identify demographic and methodological factors that may moderate the relationship between quick returns and the specified outcomes. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis will be carried out. Predefined search terms for short rest between consecutive shifts will be developed and employed to identify relevant studies examining quick returns and all aforementioned outcomes. The databases MEDLINE, Web of Science, PsychInfo, EMBASE, ProQuest, BASE, and Cochrane Trials and the 200 first hits in Google Scholar will [...]