Physical and mental fatigue in shift work and mitigation strategies: an integrative review.

The new configurations of society have fragmented working hours into shifts, resulting in greater fatigue which affects worker health. Our aim was to identify the relationship between physical and mental fatigue and shift work and the main strategies for mitigating these effects. This review study was conducted between March and May 2023 using the Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (Virtual Health Library). Twenty seven of the 1,176 identified articles were selected, with health professionals (doctors and nursing professionals), drivers, and aircraft pilots being the most studied populations. The following strategies for mitigating fatigue in shift work stood out: work schedule adjustments, interand intra-workday rest associated with phototherapy, monitoring and evaluating early signs of fatigue, supervised prescription of stimulants (such as caffeine) and sedatives, use of monitoring equipment, and staff education and training.