Abstract
Fatigue is a symptom of arthritis that causes difficulty at work. An improved understanding of this symptom could assist its management in the work environment. The aim of this study was to explore people with rheumatic diseases’ experiences of fatigue in work. A qualitative descriptive design was used with semi-structured interviews and a constant comparative method of data analysis. There were 18 participants, the majority of them female with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and working full-time. Three themes were identified: “Impact of fatigue on work performance” with cognition, mood and physical abilities being the main difficulties reported. In the second theme “Disclosure at Work” participants discussed disclosing their disease to employers but reported a lack of understanding of fatigue from colleagues. The final theme “work-based fatigue management strategies” included cognitive strategies and energy management techniques, which were mainly self-taught. In this study, fatigue was reported to impact on many areas of work performance with limited understanding from colleagues and employers. Interventions from health professionals to assist with development of work-related self-management skills are required to assist with symptom management in the work place. Such interventions should include education to employers and colleagues on the nature of fatigue in Rheumatic diseases.
Highlights
The term rheumatic diseases covers over 100 diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and Osteoarthritis (OA) and other auto-immune conditions such as Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), and Spondyloarthropies, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Fibromyalgia and Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) [1]
Of those who supplied information on their employers, six people worked for private companies or were self-employed, and six people worked in Public Sector/Government positions
Eighteen people with different types of rheumatic diseases participated in this study
Summary
The term rheumatic diseases covers over 100 diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), and Osteoarthritis (OA) and other auto-immune conditions such as Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), and Spondyloarthropies, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Fibromyalgia and Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) [1]. In Ireland, approximately 915,000 people have a Rheumatic disease with RA, OA and Fibromyalgia being the most common [3]. It has been reported that rheumatic diseases are one of the main causes of physical disability, contributing to societal and economic costs including loss of productivity in the workplace [4]. Work disability in rheumatic arthritis is considered a multidimensional concept that encompasses more than just employment status. It includes forced reduction in employed hours, loss of prospects of being promoted, more frequent use of sick leave, and early retirement [5]. The final challenge identified arises from the emotional impact of work disability on the person with the rheumatic disease [8,9]
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