Health effects of work schedules in healthcare professions

Increasing variety in working patterns and the appearance of new forms of s hift schedules in the different occupational sectors, including health serv ices, have raised great concern about the quality of working life and job p erformance. The aim of this paper is to present a systematic review of the literature o n the effects on health of irregular schedules in healthcare professionals. Computer and manual searches of databases, and discussion with experts, wer e used to identify relevant studies. No conclusive evidence was found to favour any particular work system, alth ough there is evidence that extended workdays (9-12 h) should be avoided as much as possible. There is need for carefully designed studies in order to evaluate the long- term consequences of work schedules in healthcare workers.