Absence Rates Research Articles

The Impact of Climate Change on Quality Education Delivery: A Case Study of Four Selected Secondary Schools in Kabwe District, Zambia

The study was an attempt to establish the impact of climate change on quality education delivery in selected four secondary schools in Kabwe district of central province in Zambia. Two objectives were at the heart of the study, namely: to establish effects of climate change commonly experienced in Kabwe district and to investigate how such effects affect provision of quality education in the selected four secondary schools within the district. 128 participants comprising 40 teachers, 80 pupils and 8 school administrators were purposively selected from four different secondary schools in Kabwe district. A survey using structured interviews and questionnaires were used. On challenges associated with effects of climate change commonly experienced in Kabwe district, the study established the following: impassable access roads to schools due to floods, destruction of homes, school buildings, obliteration of field crops and livestock due to heavy rains and droughts, and escalation of diseases and stress. On how the afore mentioned challenges affect quality education delivery, the study established the following: high absenteeism rate among pupils, deprivation of pupils with quality physical learning environment, increased hunger and reduced attention span in pupils, and compromised health of pupils. The study has proposed the following interventions: upscale tree planting programs, parents-teachers associations in concerned schools to aggressively lobby local authorities to maintain strategic roads in townships and residential areas leading to schools, to continue promoting use of eco-friendly practices such as conservation farming, strict control of both forest and charcoal burning, ban open air trash burning.

Seasonal patterns of sickness absence due to diagnosed mental disorders: a nationwide 12-year register linkage study.

Although seasonality has been documented for mental disorders, it is unknown whether similar patterns can be observed in employee sickness absence from work due to a wide range of mental disorders with different severity level, and to what extent the rate of change in light exposure plays a role. To address these limitations, we used daily based sickness absence records to examine seasonal patterns in employee sickness absence due to mental disorders. We used nationwide diagnosis-specific psychiatric sickness absence claims data from 2006 to 2017 for adult individuals aged 16-67 (n=636,543 sickness absence episodes) in Finland, a high-latitude country with a profound variation in daylength. The smoothed time-series of the ratio of observed and expected (O/E) daily counts of episodes were estimated, adjusted for variation in all-cause sickness absence rates during the year. Unipolar depressive disorders peaked in October-November and dipped in July, with similar associations in all forms of depression. Also, anxiety and non-organic sleep disorders peaked in October-November. Anxiety disorders dipped in January-February and in July-August, while non-organic sleep disorders dipped in April-August. Manic episodes reached a peak from March to July and dipped in September-November and in January-February. Seasonality was not dependent on the severity of the depressive disorder. These results suggest a seasonal variation in sickness absence due to common mental disorders and bipolar disorder, with high peaks in depressive, anxiety and sleep disorders towards the end of the year and a peak in manic episodes starting in spring. Rapid changes in light exposure may contribute to sickness absence due to bipolar disorder. The findings can help clinicians and workplaces prepare for seasonal variations in healthcare needs.

Screening of Endometrial Cancer Related to Lynch Syndrome in China by Suction Curettage-Based Cytology and Histology: A Retrospective Study.

To explore the feasibility of sampling Chinese patients by suction curettage for cytological and histological screening of endometrial cancer related to Lynch syndrome. This retrospective study enrolled patients who underwent endometrial biopsy at our hospital between May 2018 and January 2019. Endometrial sampling (cytological and micro-histological specimens) was conducted by suction curettage. The gold standard for diagnosis was traditional sharp dilation and curettage (D&C). The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of cytology, micro-histology, and the combination of cytology and micro-histology were calculated. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of three screening methods. Mismatch repair proteins were further detected using immunohistochemistry (IHC) in endometrial cancer. This retrospective finally enrolled 100 patients, which satisfactory samples were obtained from 96 patients for liquid-based cytology and 93 patients for microtissue histology. The concordance rates with D&C, sensitivity, and specificity were 94.8%, 76.9%, and 97.5% for liquid-based cytology, 96.8%, 84.6%, and 98.8% for microtissue histology, and 99.0%, 92.3%, and 100.0% for liquid-based cytology and microtissue histology combined, respectively. The AUC of ROC curves in liquid-based cytology, microtissue histology, and the combined methods for diagnostic ability were 0.873, 0.917, and 0.962, respectively. Absence rates of MLHl, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 proteins were 15.3% (2/13), 0% (0/13), 7.7% (1/13), and 15.3% (2/13) in the 13 endometrial cancer samples. Liquid-based cytology and microtissue histology samples from suction curettage combined IHC are useful for endometrial cancer screening.

Accommodating Employees with Impairments and Health Problems: The Role of Flexible Employment Schemes in Europe

Over the past 30 years, the workplace has witnessed significant changes. The fast growth in the use of information and communication technologies and changes in working hours and agreements radically changed the nature of the job. One such change is flexible employment schemes, which can provide alternatives for employees with disabilities and health problems, giving incentives to increase their productivity and job satisfaction. This study examines the relationship between those schemes and labour outcomes, such as job satisfaction, job quality and absenteeism in this group of people. Furthermore, the objective is to explore the role of flexible employment for carers of people with impairments. The empirical analysis relies on the European Working Conditions Survey from 2000 to 2015. The findings show that employees with disabilities and health problems working under flexible employment schemes are more likely to report higher levels of job satisfaction and lower absenteeism rates than their counterparts working under fixed employment schemes. Moreover, carers’ job satisfaction and organisational loyalty are significantly improved when flexible employment schemes are in place. The policy implications suggest efficient implementation at the state and corporate levels of flexible employment systems that can promote job satisfaction, reduce turnover intentions and, thus, increase productivity.

Literature Review on Ergonomics, Ergonomics Practices, and Employee Performance

Background: The modern history of ergonomics can be traced back to the world war from 1939 to 1945. From the 1960s to the 1990s, there were many changes made to ergonomics. Some of these were cognitive ergonomics, organizational ergonomics, positive ergonomics, and spiritual ergonomics. Ergonomics is becoming more of an issue in organizations in both developed and developing countries since the rise of occupational safety and health. Today, every company in the world puts more thought into making their workplaces safe.
 Objective: The goal of this study is to fill in the gaps in the evidence between ergonomics and employee well-being, focusing on ergonomics, ergonomic practices, and employee performance.
 Methods: This study uses an exploratory research design and gathers information from secondary sources to back up the title. Research papers are carefully chosen from scientific databases like Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Google Scholar by making criteria for each part to make sure the idea goes into depth and analyzes the role of ergonomics in improving employee performance.
 Results: Most research is done on physical ergonomics and organizational ergonomics. When people do research on ergonomics, they don't think much about how people act and think. Most ergonomics research is also done in industrial and developed countries, which makes sense. When it comes to research and use of ergonomics, developing countries are a long way behind. Most small businesses in developing countries don't care about ergonomics in the workplace.
 Conclusion: Accessing and improving ergonomics in the workplace could improve employee performance and productivity while reducing burnout, absenteeism, and turnover rates. So, it's important to study ergonomics more, especially for places like Nepal.

Nudging strategies to improve food choices of healthcare workers in the workplace cafeteria: A pragmatic field study

Dutch healthcare workers experience the highest workload and absenteeism rates compared to all other professions. This has been associated with a more unhealthy diet. Nudging strategies in the workplace have been shown to improve food choices. We studied the potential of a combination of evidence and practice-based nudging strategies; determined their feasibility in a real-life setting; and explored their effectiveness on healthier purchases over a two-month period in a hospital workplace cafeteria. We conducted an explorative, prospective field study. Based on information gathered through a literature search and a qualitative field study, we selected the potentially most effective and feasible nudges. These were subsequently implemented in a commercial workplace cafeteria of a Dutch academic medical centre. The selected nudging strategies included product placement, increasing the ratio of healthy to unhealthy product options, and providing nutritional information and motivational statements. Data on the products purchased was collected using photographs of the lunch trays of healthcare workers, with the products then labelled and their nutritional value calculated. Effects were evaluated after one and two months. Chi-square analyses were used to analyse differences over time. A total of 905 photographs of lunches were analysed (approximately 300at each time point). The nudging strategies implemented resulted in a 41% increase in the purchase of whole-wheat products at the expense of non-whole-wheat products, between baseline and final measurement (p=0.012). The purchases of healthy and unhealthy bread fillings and beverages did not significantly change during the study period. This explorative study showed that a combination of three nudging strategies partly improved healthy food choices for lunch in a Dutch healthcare setting. These results may help guide other professionals to implement nudging strategies to improve employee food choices. Future research should evaluate the effect over a longer period of time, thereby identifying the most effective combination of nudging strategies and investigate how these effect the health of hospital employees.

Academic Achievement, School Absence and Self-Concept in Czech Prepubescent Children with Overweight and Obesity

Problem. The paper offers findings about selected educational aspects of children’s academic performance, examined here in terms of sociodemographic variables, BMI percentile values, cognitive test scores, weight bias internalization scale and self­ ­concept scale with an aim to detect whether and to what extent these factors contribute to children’s school results. Methods. 557 fifth graders were administered Vana’s Intelligence Test, the Piers‑Harris 2 self­‑concept questionnaire and other tools. Children’s educational aspects were assessed in terms of school Absence, Grade Point Average, and Czech and Mathematics grades, with data obtained from their most recent report cards under the Informed consent of their legal representatives and in compliance with ethical standards. Results. Prepubescent children from stronger socio­‑economic backgrounds suffer from overweight/obesity less often and perform slightly better at school. The present results suggest a link between weight bias internalization and overweight/obesity, and a somewhat weaker link between self­‑concept and overweight/obesity in the non­‑clinical population of prepubescent children. In these relationships of overweight/obese children, as in the cases of alarmingly high school absence, gender is an important variable. Multinomial logistic regression modelling the relationship between Czech and Mathematics grades and selected factors discovered that chances for a worse grade were significantly reduced by the results of Vana’s Intelligence Test in both the subjects, while the Self‑concept total score proved to be an insignificant factor. Conversely, pupils’ Czech grades were negatively influenced by increased BMI (quartile), higher Absence rate, male Gender, Presence of only one parent in the family and WBI, while in Mathematics, in addition to the above­ ­discussed, significant regressors only included Absence and Presence of only one parent. Discussions. The results of the Self‑concept total score, the level of which is generally lower in girls than in boys in the population of Czech prepubescent children, agree with other authors’ experience. The connection between the male sex and poorer performance in Czech can be partly explained by the fact that the development of speech, reading, writing and grammar is generally less complicated for school­‑age girls than boys. We can ask why a higher BMI quartile increases the chances of a worse grade only in the case of Czech language? So far, we can only speculate about the causes. In our opinion, it is possible that the impact of parents’ education on the performance of children of this age is more pronounced in the Czech language (compared to Mathematics). The other possibility of the impact of the BMI quartile on the Czech grade is the significant predominance of boys in the o/o group. On the other hand, it should be noted that this argument would not explain the o/o children’s poorer Grade Point Average score. However, we believe that the above reasons answer partially this question. Conclusion. The vulnerability of o/o girls is pronounced in some domains of Selfconcept and Weight bias internalization, while in boys it is reflected in the more frequent occurrence of high levels of Absenteeism, with the precise causes of this being still subject to speculation. In this regard, workers in the cooperating professions should pay continuous attention to strengthening the desirable aspects of education and healthy lifestyle among vulnerable groups of children. Educational aspects of overweight/obese children should therefore continue to receive increased attention.

Overconfident leaders? Testing the effect of misaligned leader-member-exchange perceptions on the relationship between justice, trust and organizational performance measures

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of manager and employee perception of justice and trust on workplace outcomes, by testing the mediating effect of employee trust on the relationship between organisational justice and performance measures (absence rate, financial performance, labour productivity, product quality). Then, the effect of manager overconfidence as a moderator of this relationship is tested. Management and employee data from 1462 workplaces in the UK were analysed. Path analysis was used to test the moderated mediation model. The results show that employee trust mediates the relationship between organisational justice and financial performance, labour productivity, and quality of product or service. Manager overconfidence was found to moderate the indirect effect of both interpersonal justice and procedural justice on these three performance outcomes through employee trust. Understanding the relationships between justice, trust and organisational outcomes, as well as the effect of managerial overconfidence thereupon, helps managers and decision-makers to design better policies in the interest of the firm’s performance.

Molecular basis of diseases induced by the mitochondrial DNA mutation m.9032T>C.

The mitochondrial DNA mutation m.9032T>C was previously identified in patients presenting with NARP (Neuropathy Ataxia Retinitis Pigmentosa). Their clinical features had a maternal transmission and patient's cells showed a reduced oxidative phosphorylation capacity, elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and hyperpolarization of the mitochondrial inner membrane, providing evidence that m.9032T>C is truly pathogenic. This mutation leads to replacement of a highly conserved leucine residue with proline at position 169 of ATP synthase subunit a (L169P). This protein and a ring of identical c-subunits (c-ring) move protons through the mitochondrial inner membrane coupled to ATP synthesis. We herein investigated the consequences of m.9032T>C on ATP synthase in a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with an equivalent mutation (L186P). The mutant enzyme assembled correctly but was mostly inactive as evidenced by a > 95% drop in the rate of mitochondrial ATP synthesis and absence of significant ATP-driven proton pumping across the mitochondrial membrane. Intragenic suppressors selected from L186P yeast restoring ATP synthase function to varying degrees (30-70%) were identified at the original mutation site (L186S) or in another position of the subunit a (H114Q, I118T). In light of atomic structures of yeast ATP synthase recently described, we conclude from these results that m.9032T>C disrupts proton conduction between the external side of the membrane and the c-ring, and that H114Q and I118T enable protons to access the c-ring through a modified pathway.

Sickness absenteeism among staff nurses engaging in long nursing shift at smvmch at puducherry

The present study was conducted to assess the Sickness Absenteeism among Staff Nurses Engaging in Long Nursing Shift at Puducherry. The study was Descriptive research design, Quantitative research approach. A total of 60 Nurses who met the inclusion criteria were selected from the SMVMCH (Sri Manakula Vinayagar Nursing College and Hospital) at Puducherry by using purposive sample technique. The mean value assessment of the sickness absenteeism among staff nurse engaging in long nursing shift at SMVMCH is 2.667 and standard deviation is .4753. at p< 0.0001 (p < 0.05) level. Need for the study in state level State-wise absenteeism rate amongst the directly employed regular workers during the year 2016 is presented. It is observed that the rate of absenteeism in Sample Sector at all India level during the year 2016 has increased to 9.15 percent as against of 8.64 percent during the year 2013. During 2016, among States, the highest rate of absenteeism was witnessed in Delhi (13.37 percent) followed by Chandigarh (13.13 percent) and Kerala (12.87 percent). On the other hand, the lowest rate of absenteeism during the year was observed in Chhattisgarh (4.23 percent) followed by Pondicherry (5.19 percent) and Assam (6.13 percent). Out of 26 States, 13 States reported higher absenteeism rates than that at all India level during the year 2016. A total of 9 states recorded absenteeism rates of more than 10 percent. As compared to 2001, an increase in the rate of absenteeism was recorded in 10 States during the year 2016.

Impact of COVID-19 RT-PCR testing of asymptomatic health care workers on absenteeism and hospital transmission during the pandemic

Reducing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic patients is critical in controlling the circulation of the virus. This study evaluated the prevalence of Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positivity in serial tests in 429 asymptomatic health care workers (HCW) and its impact on absenteeism. HCW from a COVID-19 reference hospital were tested, screened, and placed on leave. A time-series segmented regression of weekly absenteeism rates was used, and cases of infection among hospitalized patients were analyzed. Viral gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were performed on samples from HCW who had a positive result. A significant decrease in absenteeism was detected 3-4 weeks after the intervention at a time of increased transmission within the city. The prevalence of RT-PCR positivity among asymptomatic professionals was 17.3%. Phylogenetic analyses (59 samples) detected nine clusters, two of them strongly suggestive of intrahospital transmission with strains (75% B.1.1.28) circulating in the region during this period. Testing and placing asymptomatic professionals on leave contributed to control strategy for COVID-19 transmission in the hospital environment, and in reducing positivity and absenteeism, which directly influences the quality of care and exposes professionals to an extra load of stress.

Workplace Presenteeism, Job Substitutability and Gender Inequality

Following the arrival of the first child, women's absence rates soar and become less predictable due to the greater frequency of their own sickness and the need to care for sick children. In this paper, we argue that this fall in presenteeism in the workplace hurts women's wages, not only indirectly and gradually, through a slower accumulation of human capital, but also immediately, through a direct negative effect on productivity in unique jobs (i.e., jobs with low substitutability). Although both presenteeism and job uniqueness are highly rewarded, we document that women's likelihood of holding jobs with low substitutability decreases substantially relative to men's after the arrival of the first child. This gap persists over time, with important long-run wage implications. We highlight that the parenthood wage penalty for women could be reduced by organizing work in such a way that more employees have tasks that, at least in the short run, can be performed satisfactorily by other employees in the workplace.

Impact of Stress on Employee Performance at Jamsai Firm in Bangkok, Thailand

In the current world, stress has been regarded as a global phenomenon that occurs in different forms in various workplaces. The study sought to determine the effects of stress on the performance of employees in the Jamsai firm in Bangkok, Thailand. The study was literature based. The study findings revealed that stress influences worker performance if not managed properly. The productivity and performance of workers are significant and essential elements for the success of any firm. The extreme stress encountered in the working places substantially hampers effectiveness and draws many employees' focuses. The study discovered that a firm or supervisor should correctly manage stress levels to get work done properly. In some instances, job stress makes employees more prone to error, poor work performance, mental health issues, burnout, and conflict in the workplace. If job stress goes unaddressed, organizations pay the price in higher rates of turnover, disengagement, and absenteeism. To attain an organizational goal, all the aspects that affect stress ought to be appropriately identified and measured. The study concluded that stress has a negative effect on the performance of employees. There are numerous stress elements that the workers have gone through, and the research confirmed that stress influences performance adversely. The study recommended that a good framework should be put in place to assist workers in minimizing stress while they are at work. The management needs to evaluate the state of mind by analyzing why the workers assume the firm does not appreciate its workers and what they can do to change the elements which bring about the discontentment of workers in the workplace. A worker assistance program needs to be introduced to identify and intervene early on challenges affecting employees' performance in a firm. Keywords:  Stress, Employee Performance, Jamsai Firm, Thailand

The scourge of backache.

British Journal of Community NursingVol. 27, No. 11 While's WordsThe scourge of backacheAlison WhileAlison WhileEmeritus Professor of Community Nursing, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, King's College London and Midwifery and Fellow of the Queen's Nursing InstituteSearch for more papers by this authorAlison WhilePublished Online:3 Nov 2022https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2022.27.11.522AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View article References Alzahrani H, Mackey M, Stamatakis E, Zadro JR, Shirley D. The association between physical activity and low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):8244. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44664-8 Crossref, Medline, Google ScholarBakhshi S, Sun F, Murrells T, While A. Nurses’ health behaviours and physical activity-related health-promotion practices. Br J Community Nurs. 2015;20(6):289-296. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2015.20.6.289 Link, Google ScholarBoniface G, Ghosh S, Robinson L. District nurses’ experiences of musculoskeletal wellbeing: a qualitative study. Br J Community Nurs. 2016;21(7):350-355. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2016.21.7.350 Link, Google ScholarGBD 2019 Diseases and Injuries Collaborators. Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet. 2020;396(10258):1204-1222. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30925-9 Crossref, Medline, Google ScholarHealth and Safety Executive. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders statistics in Great Britain, 2021. 2021. https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/msd.pdf (accessed 27 September 2022) Google ScholarNHS Digital. NHS sickness absence rates, January 2022 to March 2022, and annual summary 2009 to 2022, provisional statistics. 2022. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-sickness-absence-rates/nhs-sickness-absence-rates-january-2022-to-march-2022-and-annual-summary-2009-to-2020-provisional-statistics# (accessed 27 September 2022) Google ScholarNHS Employers. Musculoskeletal health in the workplace. 2019. https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/musculoskeletal-health-workplace (accessed 27 September 2022) Google ScholarNational Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management. NG59. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG59/chapter/Recommendations#non-invasive-treatments-for-low-back-pain-and-sciatica (accessed 27 September 2022) Google ScholarThe Health Foundation. Closing the gap. 2019. https://www.health.org.uk/publications/reports/closing-the-gap (accessed 27 September 2022) Google ScholarVersus Arthritis. The state of musculoskeletal health 2021. 2021. https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/24653/state-of-msk-health2-2021.pdf (accessed 27 September 2022) Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 2 November 2022Volume 27Issue 11ISSN (print): 1462-4753ISSN (online): 2052-2215 Metrics History Published online 3 November 2022 Published in print 2 November 2022 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

School Absenteeism Among Middle School Students With High Exposure to Violence.

Chronic school absenteeism is linked to failure to graduate high school and poor health in adulthood. Contextual factors associated with absenteeism may be under-recognized in school and clinical settings. We examined the prevalence of self-reported absenteeism and violence exposure and their association among middle school students with identified risk of trauma. We analyzed baseline data from a dating violence prevention program. Participants completed surveys identifying lifetime exposure to 10 types of violence and past 30-day absence. Violence exposure and absenteeism were summarized and compared across demographic groups. Generalized linear models examined associations between 1) any history of violence exposure, 2) each type of violence exposure, and 3) summed exposures to different types of violence, and frequent absenteeism (≥2 absences in past 30 days). Of all participants (overall n=499), 45.5% reported frequent absenteeism and 71.5% reported violence exposure. Any self-reported violence exposure was associated with absenteeism (aRR=1.43, 95%CI: 1.06-1.92). However, no specific type of violence exposure predicted absenteeism. Comparing summed exposures to different types of violence to no violence exposure, exposure to 1 type of violence was associated with absenteeism (aRR=1.59, 95%CI: 1.15-2.20), with no evidence of stronger associations with greater exposure (2-3 types: aRR=1.37, 95%CI: 1.00-1.88; ≥4 types: aRR=1.31, 95%CI: 0.98-1.74). Youth in this sample reported both high rates of violence exposure and absenteeism. Prior violence exposure was associated with absenteeism. Resources and contextual support for youth exposed to family or community violence may play a role in school attendance, emphasizing need for trauma-sensitive approaches to absenteeism.

A Modified Maze Versus Cut-and-Sew Maze for Long-Standing Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Concomitant with Mitral Valve Surgery: A Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Study.

The cut-and-sew maze (CSM) procedure has an excellent efficacy for the elimination of long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) concomitant with mitral valve surgery. Because of the complexity and prolongation of cardiopulmonary bypass, CSM has not been widely used. The aim of this study was to examine a modified maze procedure that preserves the "cut-and-sew" procedure in the left atrium and uses cryoablation in the right atrium along with cavotricuspid isthmus. From December 2013 to December 2018, 229 patients underwent CSM, and 43 underwent the modified maze procedure during mitral valve surgery. Propensity score matching analysis was used to perform selective 1:2 ratio matching of the 43 patients undergoing the modified maze procedure with 86 patients undergoing CSM. Early operative outcomes were analysed for differences. The absence of AF recurrence without the use of anti-arrhythmic drugs was calculated at 2 years by a generalised linear model analysis. One (1.1%) early death occurred in the CSM group, and no deaths occurred in the modified maze group (p=0.722). The aortic cross-clamp durations were 76.30±8.86 minutes for the modified maze and 92.38±10.88 for the CSM procedure (p<0.001). There were no late strokes or deaths during the 2-year follow-up. The modified maze group showed similar rates of absence of AF without the use of anti-arrhythmic drugs as the CSM group within the 2 years (p=0.332). This modified maze simplifies the "cut-and-sew" procedure and reduces operating time while retaining the efficacy of CSM.

Sickness Absence in the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant Workers as an Element of the Digital Twin Concept in Occupational Medicine

Introduction: A multifactorial analysis of the causes of morbidity and preventive measures provides an opportunity to build a risk prediction model for sickness absence in the working population, thereby reducing production and healthcare costs. Objective: A retrospective analysis of sickness absence in workers of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant exposed to a combination of occupational risk factors in the year 2020. Materials and methods: We analyzed sickness absence rates in the workers in terms of the ICD-10 nomenclature based on data of the Russian Statistical Observation Form No. 16-VN and established the number of episodes of sickness absence per employee as a relative indicator independent of the size of the groups under study. Results: The highest sickness absence rates per 100 employees were estimated for workers of the Training Center and Design and Technology Department (73.1 episodes each), the Hydroshop (68.6) and Transportation Department (65.5). In the Radioactive Waste Treatment Shop and the first and second Reactor Shops, these rates were 53, 43.9, and 33.9 per 100 employees, respectively. The mean duration of an episode of sickness absence in all divisions of the nuclear power plant was 13–15.4 days and its most frequent causes were, similar to the Kursk Region and the Russian Federation as a whole, diseases of the respiratory and musculoskeletal systems, injuries and poisonings. Conclusions: It is important to develop a risk-based approach in occupational medicine. To establish a cause-and-effect relationship for loss of health among nuclear industry workers, we propose to create a digital platform (a digital twin of an employee) enabling prediction of the time, cause, risk of a disease and/or disability, and prerequisites for its mitigation.

Organizational wellbeing: A model of a new Apulian COVID-19 designated hospital.

Work environment characteristics have an important impact on organizational wellbeing in health care facilities. In the Apulia Region, a new COVID-19 hospital was planned, designated and built in a few weeks for the treatment of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. To our knowledge, this hospital, together with "Fiera Hospital" in Milan, are two of the few buildings worldwide that have been converted into new health care facilities with intensive care center units to treat COVID-19 patients, and this is the first study assessing organizational wellbeing in a newly designated COVID-19 hospital. To detect and assess the strong points, criticality, and perceptions of wellbeing/discomfort of health care workers engaged in the management of the current health emergency. The study was conducted on 188 health care workers, with the "Multidimensional Organizational Health Questionnaire." We found an overall positive level of organizational wellbeing. The more positive dimensions were "Collaboration between colleagues," "Organizational efficiency" and "Room Comfort." Conflict situations in the workplace were poorly perceived. A very low rate of absenteeism from work was also observed. Our results show the effectiveness of the organizational model adopted in the management of the COVID-19 hospital, especially in view of the work and emotional overload of the personnel called to face the epidemiological emergency on the frontline, which did not adversely affect the psychophysical conditions of the workers. The success of this model is related to the coexistence of all levels of care required during any type of health emergency in a single structure, paying particular attention to the architectural, functional, and procedural aspects of health care and to the so-called "humanization" of care.

Association Between the Community Prevalence of COVID-19 and Daily Unscheduled Absences of Anesthesiologists, Nurse Anesthetists, and Residents in an Academic Anesthesia Department.

Introduction An "unscheduled absence" refers to an occurrence when an employee does not appear for work and the absence was not approved in advance by an authorized supervisor. Daily unscheduled absences need to be forecasted when doing staff scheduling to maintain an acceptable risk of beingunable torun all anesthetizing locations and operating rooms planned. The number of extra personnel to be scheduled needs to be atleast twice aslarge as the mean number absent. In an earlier historical cohort study, we found that our department's modeled risks of being unavailable unexpectedly differed among types of anesthesia practitioners (e.g., anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists) and among weekdays (i.e., Mondays, Fridays, and workdays adjacent toholidays versus other weekdays). In the current study, with two extra years of data, we examined the effect of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic onthe frequency of unscheduled absences. Methods There were 50 four-week periods studied atalarge teaching hospital inthe United States, from August 30, 2018to June29, 2022. The sample size of 120,687 person-assignment days (i.e., a person assigned to work on a given day) included 322 anesthesia practitioners (86 anesthesiologists, 88 certified registered nurse anesthetists, 99 resident and fellow physicians, and 49 student nurse anesthetists). The community prevalence ofCOVID‑19 was estimated using the percentage positive among asymptomatic patients tested before surgery and other interventional procedures at the hospital. Results Each 1% increase in the prevalence of COVID-19 among asymptomatic patients was associated with a 1.131 increase in the odds ofunscheduled absence (P < 0.0001, 99% confidence interval 1.086 to1.178). Using an alternativemodel with prevalence categories, unscheduled absences were substantively more common when the COVID-19 prevalence exceeded 2.50%, P [Formula: see text]0.0002. For example, there was a 1% unscheduled absence rate among anesthesiologists working Mondays and Fridays early in the pandemic when the prevalence of COVID-19 among asymptomatic patients was 1.3%. At a 1% unscheduled absence rate, 67 would be the minimum scheduled tomaintain a <5.0% risk for being unable to run all 65 anesthetizing locations. Incontrast, there was a 3% unscheduled absence rate among nurse anesthetists working Mondays and Fridays during the Omicron variant surge when the prevalence was 4.5%. At a 3% unscheduled absence rate, 70would be the minimum scheduled tomaintain the same risk of not being able to run 65 rooms. Conclusions Increases in the prevalence of COVID-19 asymptomatic tests were associated with more unscheduled absences, with no detected threshold. This quantitative understanding ofthe impact ofcommunicable diseases on the workforce potentially has broad generalizability toother fields and infectious diseases.

Absence among National Health Service workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal

Abstract Background By March 2020, the first Covid-19 cases were detected in Portugal. While the National Health Service (NHS) faced an increased demand for health care, anecdotal evidence showed that the NHS absenteeism rose. This might be explained by outbreaks in healthcare units, COVID-19 infection due to close contact with patients, self-isolation and quarantines, and family challenges originated by lockdowns. The present work aimed to quantify the absenteeism among NHS workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal. Methods This study used data for the number of NHS workers and absence days (2015-2021), from the Portuguese NHS Transparency Portal and the Strategy and Planning Office. Absenteeism was compared, before and after the pandemic onset, in absolute terms, and as absence rates (number of absent days as a percentage of potential workforce days). Additionally, we performed an interrupted time series analysis, by fitting a Poisson regression model with level change. We controlled for data seasonality using Fourier terms (pairs of sine and cosine functions). Results From 2015 until March 2020, the average monthly absence rate was of 12.2, rising to 14.4 in the remaining period. This represented an increase of 18% in the absence rate. The interrupted time series showed an increase of 10.8% in the NHS absenteeism after the pandemic onset [Relative risk =1.10; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-1.11; p &amp;lt; 0.01]. When accounting for seasonality in the data, the model showed an increase of 11.0% in the NHS absenteeism [Relative risk =1.11; 95% CI 1.01-1.22; p &amp;lt; 0.05]. Conclusions These results highlight the excess of absence days among the NHS workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. In future healthcare crises, health professionals should be protected, by assuring a safe workplace and making protective equipment available. Only then will be possible to reduce constraints in healthcare assistance, guarantee the adequate response, and contain the absence costs. Key messages