A Pilot of a Personalized Circadian Mobile Health Application to Improve Sleep in Night Shift Workers

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying the use of a personalized mobile application called SHIFT to improve sleep in night shift workers with Shift Work Sleep Disorder. The study aims to build evidence for fair access and effective use of this precision sleep medicine tool, which uses body-clock data collected from an Apple Watch to provide tailored light exposure schedules. The trial is randomized and double-blind, comparing the SHIFT app to a waitlist control group over a period of up to eight months. Participants in the SHIFT app group receive access codes to download the app and attend an orientation session. They then follow a four-week period of guided app use where they start their day with the app and plan their activities based on its recommendations, using the app about four times per week. This is followed by self-directed use, with a booster session at four months that includes two additional weeks of guided use before continuing self-directed use until the study ends. The waitlist control group completes questionnaires during the first eight months and may choose to use the app afterward if still working night shifts. During the study, participants complete surveys and app usage is monitored to assess engagement, experience, and accuracy of the app on different platforms. The main outcomes include evaluating the effect of SHIFT on participant-centered results and comparing app versions from enrollment through eight months. Additional assessments explore factors that help or hinder app use. The study involves regular evaluations over the first eight months, with follow-up and safety monitoring continuing until the study concludes in mid-2027.

A Pilot of a Personalized Circadian mHealth to Improve Sleep in Night Shift Workers