Active Workforce Research Articles

Indian guidelines for asthma: Adherence is the key.

Indian guidelines for asthma: Adherence is the key.

Basic health awareness and concerns prevalent among Indian hill farm women

Women have always been a part of the active work force in Uttarakhand, although their work remains unrecognized and formally unorganized. Health allied issues pertaining to women have always been a remarkable area for researchers and much has been explored. However, minimal research in this perspective has been conducted on women folk belonging to hilly regions. This paper is therefore, an attempt to unveil at least the basic health awareness and concerns prevalent among hill farm women. With ex-post facto research design the study was taken up in Dotiyal gaon of Takula block in Almora district. Sample size consisted of 50 hill farm women. Results signified poor health awareness and concerns among hill farm women, as in majority women were not aware about their blood group and the dietary differences of normal and pregnant women. They were suffering from different ailments as a result of their work culture. Concerted efforts by the medical community, government, NGOs and learned people willing to help is ardently entailed to create awareness and enlightening hill farm women for what is the basis of life i.e. health.

Post-retirement intentions of nurses and midwives living and working in the Northern Territory of Australia

Previous research undertaken in the Northern Territory of Australia has identified interest among nurses in engaging in the active workforce post-retirement. Relatively little is known about which nurses are interested in such engagement, and the types of work arrangements that might be of interest. This study aims to provide an enhanced understanding of the retirement plans and post-retirement employment intentions of nurses and midwives living and working in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. An online survey was developed to examine retirement intentions, and investigate the types and facilitators significant for post-retirement engagement. The results indicated a strong interest among nurses and midwives in engaging in post-retirement work, with 73.2% of respondents (n=207) having considered continuing in the active workforce. The most preferred types of engagement included the gradual reduction of hours in current workplaces, part-year or seasonal employment, short-term placements, job-sharing or job-rotation, mentoring, research and policy development or acting as 'Northern Territory representatives' promoting jobs to prospective nurses and midwives elsewhere in Australia. A range of facilitators for post-retirement engagement was found, including for nurses who had not currently considered such engagement. The data collected from this research also identified barriers to post-retirement employment. The most favoured facilitators were financial incentives (90.0% of respondents identified it as a facilitator for post-retirement engagement), followed by support from line management (82.0%). Regardless of whether they had considered engaging post-retirement, the largest proportion of respondents intended to leave the NT for the time of their retirement (33.7%). The most prominent barrier to post-retirement engagement was that only a smaller proportion intended to retire in the NT (24.1%). Importantly, many nurses who had not currently considered post-retirement engagement were interested in some of the opportunities listed in the survey, and may therefore be tempted to consider continued engagement in the future. This study has provided an enhanced understanding of the retirement intentions of nurses and midwives living and working in the NT, and the significant types and facilitators of post-retirement engagement. The barriers arising from the inability of workplaces to cater to the needs of older workers potentially continuing their employment post-retirement are consistent with previous research. The types and facilitators of engagement presented in this study might assist in overcoming these barriers.

Natural Oscillations of Viscoelastic Lamellar Mechanical Systems with Point Communications

We investigated the natural oscillations of dissipative inhomogeneous plate mechanical systems with point connections. Based on the principle of virtual displacements, we equate to zero the sum of all active work force, including the force of inertia which obtain equations vibrations of mechanical systems. Frequency equation is solved numerically by the method of Muller. According to the result of numerical analysis we established nonmonotonic dependence damping coefficients of the system parameters.

Psychosocial and Demographic Correlates of Employment vs Disability Status in a National Community Sample of Adults with Chronic Pain: Toward a Psychology of Pain Presenteeism

Although chronic pain is a source of work-related disability, relatively little research has addressed the psychological factors that differentiate individuals in chronic pain who leave the workforce from those who remain on the job despite their pain. The present study examined a small set of attitudinal and coping-related factors as potential correlates of pain-related disability vs continued part- or full-time employment over and above the role of well-known risk factors. A large sample of adult men and women with chronic pain drawn from across the United States (N = 1,293) by means of random digit dialing was subdivided into two groups: working (N = 859) and on disability (N = 434). Both groups were interviewed (by telephone) to complete a set of instruments (called the Profile of Chronic Pain: Extended Assessment battery) measuring pain attitudes and coping methods. Logistic regression analysis revealed that continued employment status was inversely related to pain severity and was positively related to higher education and being Hispanic. After controlling for severity and demographic factors, belief in a medical cure and catastrophizing tendencies were significant inverse predictors, and task persistence was a positive predictor of continued employment. Results revealed both demographic and attitudinal predictors of continued employment and highlight the value of harnessing insights from the psychology of work engagement to better understand the processes underlying pain presenteeism. Interventions designed to keep persons with pain in the active work force should build upon and extend the present findings.

Cancer incidence among 41 000 Norwegian offshore oil industry workers

Background: In 2012, the production of crude oil and natural gas on the Norwegian continental shelf involved over 50 national and international companies on 80 oil fields along the coastline. It has been a challenge to identify historically workers engaged in this scattered and complex activity, emerging since 1970. Cancer incidence in the workforce may be influenced by exposure to crude oil and petroleum components, combustion products, asbestos, silica, and metals. Additionally, platform workers have 12-hour shifts, abundant food, and long leave periods. Two cohorts have been established for cancer studies in offshore workers: one survey-based, and one from a governmental register of employers and employees. Aims: To investigate the degree of overlap between the cohorts, and to combine them in order to provide the most complete and extended follow-up of cancer incidence to date. Methods: Both cohorts counted nearly 27 000 workers, respectively, representing over 41 000 unique individuals. Incident cancers 1999–2009 were identified by linkage to the national Cancer Registry, and expected numbers were calculated from national age- and gender-specific rates. Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were derived. Results: Each cohort shared approximately 50% of its members with the other one. The workers were young, on average turning 50 at the end of follow-up. Overall cancer risk was close to expected, with SIRs of 1.03 (95% CI 0.99–1.08) for men and 1.17 (95% CI 1.02–1.34) for women. The female excess mainly involved skin cancers. Comparison with the general population may underestimate the risks in this selected and active workforce. Some potentially occupational risks found in earlier studies were confirmed. Conclusions: The data indicated that both cohorts are fairly representative samples of Norwegian offshore workers. No large excess was found, but the cancer incidence pattern deserves further attention in studies with exposure data and confounder control.

402 Does early retirement reduce the risk of myocardial infarction? A prospective registry linkage study of 617,511 Danish workers

ObjectivesDemographic changes throughout the industrialised world will increase the proportions of retired individuals relative to the active workforce in the coming decades. This will put a substantial financial strain on...

Os Governos FHC e Lula e a política para a força de trabalho civil do Governo Central Brasileiro

This article analyzes the configuration of the active civil servant workforce of the Brazilian government during Fernando Henrique Cardoso - FHC - (1995-2002) and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - Lula - (2003-2010) mandates. The article associates the condition of the workforce of the Brazilian government with the changes in the government coalition. The residual participation of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in the direct provision of public services influenced the downward trend of the federal workforce.The implementation of the Unified Health System (SUS) was strongly affected by the structural adjustment of the workforce at the federal level during the decades of 1990 and 2000.

Influence of psoriasis on work

Previous research indicates that psoriasis has an impact on early retirement, sick leave days and reduced work performance. To evaluate the disadvantages at work caused by psoriasis. The sample was based on patients visiting the dermatology outpatient clinic in Turku University Hospital. 262 returned a mailed questionnaire. The subjects were asked how many hours they were on a sick leave (absenteeism) and working while sick (presenteeism) due to psoriasis and other health reasons. Of the retired, 17.0% felt they were retired due to psoriasis. Those in the active work force reported on average 4.5 hours absenteeism and 8.3 hours of presenteeism due to psoriasis during the last 4 weeks. Psoriasis caused 27.0% of the total absenteeism and 39.0% of presenteeism. More than a quarter (28.9%) had been forced to modify their work due to psoriasis, most frequently to make the work less irritating for the skin. Psoriasis has a negative effect on patients' work in many ways, causing early retirement from work, sick leave days, change of occupation and work modifications.

Effect of employment planning with professional education on expectation and personal development

In recent years in Turkey, it has been observed that workforce education programs within the active workforce marketing policies implemented by the Turkish Labour Institution especially towards the disadvantaged groups such as the women, the long term unemployed, the youth with low skill levels in the workforce market are increasingly gaining importance by the support of European Union. In today’s world, one of the most important points to be considered is the high-quality education. For a quality education, it is necessary to understand very well the expectations and perceptions of trainees who receive training services. Thus, expectations would be met and employment planning related to the vocational training services received would be increased. The main objective of this study is to increase the employment rate of the trainees who have received vocational training services and to be able to analyse its effect on their personal developments.

The healthy lifestyle capacity building project for the remote physical activity workforce in Aborginal communties across the Northern Territory, Australia

The healthy lifestyle capacity building project for the remote physical activity workforce in Aborginal communties across the Northern Territory, Australia

BIOAMBIENT.ES study protocol: rationale and design of a cross-sectional human biomonitoring survey in Spain

Human biomonitoring (HBM), defined as the measurement of concentrations of chemicals or of their metabolites in human biological matrices, is considered the method of choice for determining internal exposures in individuals. HBM is part of environmental exposure surveillance systems in several countries. In 2007, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment promoted BIOAMBIENT.ES project, a national-level HBM study on environmental pollutants carried out in Spain to estimate levels of heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and other substances on the Spanish active workforce. BIOAMBIENT.ES is a nationwide cross-sectional study, with a stratified cluster sampling designed to cover all geographical areas, sex and occupational sectors, and aimed to obtain a representative sample of the Spanish workforce. Participants were recruited among people residing in Spain for 5years or more, which underwent their annual occupational medical check-up in the health facilities of the Societies for Prevention of IBERMUTUAMUR, MUTUALIA, MC-PREVENCIÓN, MUGATRA, UNIMAT PREVENCIÓN, and PREVIMAC (March 2009-July 2010). A total of 1,892 subjects fulfilled the criteria for inclusion, donated biological samples (1,880 blood, 1,770 urine, and 577 hair) and completed a short self-administrated epidemiological questionnaire on environmental and lifestyle-related exposures. Additionally, clinical information from participant's health exams was obtained. This project will provide a first overview of the body burden of selected pollutants in a representative sample of the Spanish-occupied population. This information will be useful to establish reference values of the studied population and, eventually, to evaluate temporal trends and the effectiveness of environmental and health policies.

A narrative review on the effect of economic downturns on the nursing labour market: implications for policy and planning

Economic downturns and recession lead to budget cuts and service reductions in the healthcare sector which often precipitate layoffs and hiring freezes. Nurses, being the largest professional group in healthcare, are strongly affected by cost reductions. Economic downturns destabilize the nursing labour market with potential negative outcomes, including serious shortages, extending beyond the recessionary period. The objectives of this manuscript are to provide an overview of the potential short- and long-run impact of economic downturns on the supply and demand of nurses, and present healthcare decision makers with a framework to enhance their ability to strategically manage their human resources through economic cycles.A narrative review of the literature on the effects of economic downturns on the nursing labour market in developed countries was carried out with a special focus on studies offering a longitudinal examination of labour force trends. Analysis indicates that economic downturns limit the ability of public payers and institutions to finance their existing health workforce. As salaried healthcare workers, nurses are especially susceptible to institutional budget cuts. In the short run, economic downturns may temporarily reduce the demand for and increase the supply of nurses, thereby influencing nursing wages and turnover rates. These effects may destabilise the nursing labour market in the long run. After economic downturns, the market would quickly display the pre-recessionary trends and there may be serious demand–supply imbalances resulting in severe shortages. Potential long-term effects of recession on the nursing labour market may include a downsized active workforce, difficulty in retaining younger nurses, a decreased supply of nurses and workforce casualisation.Lack of understanding of labour market dynamics and trends might mislead policy makers into making misinformed workforce downsizing decisions that are often difficult and expensive to reverse. In the aftermath of an economic downturn, the costs of attracting nurses back often outweigh the short term cost savings. Effective management should support the nursing workforce by creating attractive and stable work environments to retain nurses at a manageable cost.

Urinary creatinine concentrations in an industrial workforce and comparison with reference values of the general population

Urinary creatinine is an important parameter for the adjustment of metabolite concentrations in differently diluted urine specimens, as a reference dimension for biological limit or guidance values and as a selection criterion for spot urine samples in human biomonitoring. While the creatinine output of the general population has been well described in environmental surveys, this study focused specifically on creatinine concentrations in a large industrial workforce in order to compare these data with the general population and to provide a database for the calculation of a reasonable conversion factor between volume-related and creatinine-adjusted data and vice versa. Urinary creatinine was analysed in 6,438 spot urine samples by a photometric assay in the time period between 1989 and 2009. Basic demographic data (age, sex, body weight, body height) and job category (apprentices, skilled craftsmen, skilled chemical workers, foremen, laboratory staff and executives) were considered in a statistical analysis. The median concentration of urinary creatinine in all urine samples was 1.36g/L with male employees showing significantly higher values (1.37g/L, n=6,148 samples) than female employees (1.00g/L, n=290) and concentrations ranging from 0.01 up to 9.76g/L. Age, body mass index and job category were significant influence factors on urinary creatinine. About 92% of all samples showed creatinine concentrations between 0.3 and 3.0g/L, a range recommended by the World Health Organization as a criterion for valid spot urine samples. The results of this study correspond well with data from environmental surveys and with recent data from an active workforce in industry with similar sampling strategies. Therefore, a median of 1.4g creatinine per litre urine seems to be a reasonable value for general calculations and adjustments. The study data also support the validity of the current recommendations by the WHO and several scientific committees and institutions with respect to creatinine limits in spot urine samples for occupational-medical biomonitoring.

Intervening to Enhance Eudaimonic Well-being in the Workplace: The Active Workforce Initiative

Intervening to Enhance Eudaimonic Well-being in the Workplace: The Active Workforce Initiative

Italy's ageing workforce

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the reasons for low labour force participation rates among older workers in Italy and discuss how changing human resource management practices can improve the situation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyzes Italian population trends and age‐specific workforce participation rates, considering variations by industry, gender and management level. It looks at common age stereotypes and the effects of implementing human resource management policies designed for a younger workforce. It outlines initiatives undertaken by leading companies such as ENI, IBM and BMW to manage an ageing workforce.FindingsSince 1950, the proportion of the Italian population over retirement age has more than doubled. Birth rates are low and life expectancy is going up. Unless participation rates increase, Italy's labour force is likely to be 40 per cent smaller in 2050 than it was in 1995. With more people retiring and fewer potentially active workforce entrants, Italy can anticipate chronic labour shortages and a widening skills gap. How can the country increase the number of active workers available to support an older population? And how can new human resource management approaches help companies to better manage an ageing workforce?Practical implicationsThe paper provides examples describing the human resource management approaches that can help to prevent skill shortages and loss of knowledge as older workers retire.Social implicationsThe paper draws attention to social and cultural factors contributing to age discrimination and the effects of negative stereotypes on older workers' motivation and on their access to training and development opportunities.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the importance of training as a way to overcome negative age stereotypes, using older workers as a valuable resource able to pass on knowledge, skills and company history to those just starting out on their careers.

The US distribution of physicians from lower income countries.

IntroductionSince the 1960 s, the number of international medical graduates (IMGs) in the United States has increased significantly. Given concerns regarding the effects of this loss to their countries of origin, the authors undertook a study of IMGs from lower income countries currently practicing in the United States.MethodsThe AMA Physician Masterfile was accessed to identify all 265,851 IMGs in active practice in the United States. These were divided by state of practice and country of origin. World Bank income classification was used to identify lower income countries.Results128,729 IMGs were identified from 53 lower income countries, constituting 15 percent of the US active physician workforce. As a percentage of the workforce, West Virginia (29%), New Jersey (27%), and Michigan (26%) had the most IMGs from lower income countries, and Montana, Idaho, and Alaska (all less than 2%), the least. The countries with the greatest loss of physicians to the United States per 100,000 population were the Philippines, Syria, Jordan, and Haiti.DiscussionThe reliance of US medicine on physicians from lower income countries is beneficial to the United States both clinically and economically. However, it results in a loss of the lower income country's investment in the IMG's education. We discuss possible mechanisms to compensate the lower income countries for the medical education costs of their physicians who immigrate to the US.

Predictive modeling the physician assistant supply: 2010-2025.

A component of health-care reform in 2010 identified physician assistants (PAs) as needed to help mitigate the expected doctor shortage. We modeled their number to predict rational estimates for workforce planners. The number of PAs in active clinical practice in 2010 formed the baseline. We used graduation rates and program expansion to project annual growth; attrition estimates offset these amounts. A simulation model incorporated historical trends, current supply, and graduation amounts. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to systematically adjust parameters in the model to determine the effects of such changes. As of 2010, there were 74,476 PAs in the active workforce. The mean age was 42 years and 65% were female. There were 154 accredited educational programs; 99% had a graduating class and produced an average of 44 graduates annually (total n=6,776). With a 7% increase in graduate entry rate and a 5% annual attrition rate, the supply of clinically active PAs will grow to 93,099 in 2015, 111,004 in 2020, and 127,821 in 2025. This model holds clinically active PAs in primary care at 34%. The number of clinically active PAs is projected to increase by almost 72% in 15 years. Attrition rates, especially retirement patterns, are not well understood for PAs, and variation could affect future supply. While the majority of PAs are in the medical specialties and subspecialties fields, new policy steps funding PA education and promoting primary care may add more PAs in primary care than the model predicts.

The content of the work of clinical nurse specialists described by use of daily activity diaries

Evaluate the usefulness of the role of clinical nurse specialists and the content of their work by mapping their activities. The clinical work of advanced practice nursing differs in different countries, and a clear picture is lacking on what exactly advanced practice nurses do. Prospective exploratory study. The setting of the study was the largest hospital in Iceland where over half of the country's active nursing workforce are employed, including the only clinical nurse specialists. Of 19 clinical nurse specialists working at the hospital, 15 participated. Data were collected over seven days with a structured activity diary that lists 65 activities, classified into six roles and three domains. In 17 instances, the 'role activities' and 'domain activities' overlap and form 17 categories of practice. The clinical nurse specialists coded their activities at 15-minutes interval and could code up to four activities simultaneously. Daily, the clinical nurse specialists evaluated their clinical nurse specialist background. The roles that occupied the greatest proportion of the clinical nurse specialists' time were education, expert practice and 'other' activities, while the smallest proportions were in counselling, research and practice development. The domain they worked in most was the institutional domain, followed by the client/family domain and the clinical outcome management domain. All of the clinical nurse specialists reported working on two activities simultaneously, 11 of them on three activities and six on four activities. They self-assessed their background as clinical nurse specialists as being very useful. The activity diary is a useful tool for assessing the content of practice. Clinical nurse specialists spend too much time on activities related to the institution. Nurse managers are advised to provide clinical nurse specialists with ample time to develop the direct practice role in the client/family domain. The development of advanced nursing practice requires that clinical nurse specialists take an active and visible part in direct patient care.

Consequences of sickness presence and sickness absence on health and work ability: A Swedish prospective cohort study

To determine whether self-reported sickness presence (SP) and self-reported sickness absence (SA) are specific risk factors for future health problems or reduced work ability in the active workforce. The study population consisted of a cohort based on a random sample (n = 2181) with data for 2004, 2005, and 2006. The subjects were employees aged from 25 to 50 years in 2004. Cross-tabulations were calculated to identify significant background factors (sex, age, education, socioeconomic position), work factors (work demands, control, adjustment latitude), and outcome factors. Block-wise multiple logistic regression analyses were performed for outcome factors (SP, SA, self-rated health, physical complaints, work ability, mental well-being). SA and SP were found to have negative health consequences; this was particularly pronounced for those with frequent SP or SA. There was a dose-response relationship between the degree of SA, SP and the different health outcomes. The health risks remained, after control for background factors, prior working conditions and initial health. SP also appeared to lead to SA, whereas SA did not have a significant impact on future SP. The results suggest that both SP and SA are strong predictors of future poor health, physical complaints, low mental well-being and low work ability. The detrimental influence of frequent SP was most pronounced in relation to work ability and physical complaints, although all of the measured health factors were affected. The negative effects of SA on the different health outcomes were similar.