Smith 1998.
| Methods | Controlled before and after study, 6 months follow up | |
| Participants | Police service, UK, police officers | |
| Interventions | Compressed working week with flexibility: 5 or 7 8‐hour shifts with 2 or 3 days off to with flexible starts with 4 12‐hour shifts, then 4 days off. Two control groups (i) rigid starts with 4 12‐hour shifts, then 4 days off and (ii) 8‐hour shift rota | |
| Outcomes | Physical health: physical health questionnaire (Barton 1995); sleep alertness, chronic fatigue, (Standard Shiftwork Index, Barton 1995) Mental health: psychological stress (GHQ‐12, Goldberg 1972) Secondary outcomes: Work‐life balance: interference with social and family life (Barton 1995, Standard Shiftwork Index) |
|
| Type of flexibility | Worker‐orientated | |
| Notes | — | |
| Risk of bias | ||
| Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
| Adequate follow‐up response | High risk | |
| Adjustment for non‐response | High risk | |
| Conclusions substantiated | Low risk | |
| Adequate adjustment for confounders | Low risk | |
| Protection against contamination | Low risk | |
| Appropriate statistics | Low risk | |