Burden Of Work Disability Research Articles

Time off work following psychological injury among health and social care workers: a population-based retrospective cohort study in New South Wales, Australia

ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the disability duration and burden of compensated time loss in the health and social care (HSC) sector following psychological injury.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted...

Occupational impacts of early inflammatory arthritis: results from the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit.

Inflammatory arthritis causes significant work disability. Studies regarding this frequently fail to report important contextual information such as employment type. Our objective was to explore work participation, by gender and occupation type, in early inflammatory arthritis. Data are from the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit for 2018-2020. At diagnosis, clinicians collected information on demographics, inflammatory arthritis disease activity, and working status. Participants completed patient-reported outcomes at baseline, 3 months and 12 months, including occupation and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI). Descriptive analyses of work participation and WPAI scores by occupational class at all time points were performed. Regression models were used to examine associations between WPAI score and occupation. In all, 12 473 people received a diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis and reported employment status, among whom 5999 (47%) were in paid work for at least 20 hours/week. At diagnosis, the working cohort had statistically significant lower measures of disease activity (P < 0.001). Occupational data were available for 3694 individuals. At diagnosis, 2793 completed a WPAI; 200 (7.2%) had stopped work and 344 (12.3%) changed jobs because of inflammatory arthritis symptoms. There was a high burden of absenteeism (30%) and presenteeism (40%). Compared with managerial or professional workers, the burden of work disability was greater among those in routine (manual) occupations. During follow-up, 9.4% of WPAI completers stopped work and 14.6% changed roles. Work drop-out occurred almost entirely among people doing routine jobs. It is easier to retain work in certain employment sectors. Participation in routine jobs is more affected, which may widen health inequalities.

Professional Reintegration after Pelvic and Acetabular Trauma

Introduction: Pelvic ring and acetabulum injuries are complex injuries varying in severity and complications resulting in serious morbidity in surviving individuals which as a result can be a major contributor to reintegration of patients in professional services. Therefore its important to evaluate to what extent affected patients can return to pre injury work status and how their quality of life is affected. The objective of this study is to evaluate reintegration of affected patients in profession in a two year follow up after acetabular and pelvic ring injuries Material and Methods: Using local Trauma Registry of Orthopedic Trauma department in Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Institute of Trauma (SMBBIT) a retrospective Cohort study was conducted. All patients between age 18 to 60 who had a Acetabulum or Pelvic Ring fracture presented in SMBBIT during July 2017 to July 2019 and were treated by Orthopedic Trauma department were included in study. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to model reintegration to profession. Affected patients were classified as “Reintegrated to profession” if they have earned a month salary after 13 to 24 months rehabilitation post treatment. For unemployed patients along with majority of women who were domestic home makers, reciprocate basic household chores to pre injury injury level were classified as “ Reintegrated “ Fracture classification, Age, Gender, Fracture of Spine , Nerve Injuries of Lumbo Sacral Spine and/or lower limb and work status before injury were considered prognostic covarities. Results: Almost 70 percent of 180 researched patients were classified reintegrated. This means a reduction of 20 percent in employment for Pelvic ring injuries and 10 percent reduction in employment for acetabular fractures post treatment. Employment status before injury was the main predictor for reintegration. Older patients had a less chance to return to work in comparison to young individuals. Patients with Nerve injuries and fracture of spine had almost 80 percent higher risk for not being reintegrated. Conclusion: Acetabular fractures and Pelvic ring injuries currently lead to greater loss of reintegration to profession or domestic work. Trauma to Pelvis and Acetabulum threatens the social security of patients. Therefor rehabilitation and follow up care should be optimized to reduce post traumatic disability and reduce the economic burden of work disability.

Work Disability in Australia: An Overview of Prevalence, Expenditure, Support Systems and Services.

Purpose This study sought to describe Australian systems of income support for people with work disability. Specific aims were to summarise and compare the features of the income support systems, including the rehabilitation and employment services funded or provided by those systems, and factors affecting transition between systems. Further objectives were to estimate the prevalence of work disability in Australia and the national expenditure on work disability income support. Methods A mixed methods project involving collation and analysis of existing publicly available documentation and data, and interviews with 25 experts across ten major systems of income support. The prevalence of work disability and expenditure in each system, and in total, was estimated using publicly accessible data sources. System features and service models were synthesised from data sources, tabulated and compared qualitatively. Results In Australia during the 2015/2016 financial year an estimated 786,000 people with work disability received income support from a Commonwealth, state, territory or private source. An additional 6.5million people accessed employer provided leave entitlements for short periods of work incapacity. A total of $37.2billion Australian dollars was spent on income support for these people during the year. This support was provided through a complex array of government authorities, private sector insurers and employers. Service models vary substantially between systems, with case management the only service provided across all systems. Healthcare and return to work services were provided in some systems, although models differed markedly between systems. Income support ranged from 19 to 100% of earnings for a person earning the average weekly Australian wage pre-disability. There is a paucity of information relating to movement between systems of support, however it is likely that many thousands of people with long periods of work disability transition between systems annually. Conclusions This study demonstrates the substantial financial and human impact of work disability on Australian society. Findings indicate multiple opportunities for reducing the burden of work disability, including aligning case management and healthcare service models, and engaging employers in prevention and rehabilitation. The findings suggest a need for greater interrogation and evaluation of Australian work disability support systems.

AB0987 A longitudinal study of work disability among people with chronic knee pain

BackgroundWith an ageing population and increased trend to delay retirement worldwide, the number of people in the workforce affected by knee osteoarthritis will increase(1). There is a paucity of research...

The Burden of Work Disability Associated with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Ontario Compensated Workers: A Prospective Cohort Study~!2009-11-16~!2010-02-21~!2010-03-16~!

The Burden of Work Disability Associated with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Ontario Compensated Workers: A Prospective Cohort Study~!2009-11-16~!2010-02-21~!2010-03-16~!

Work Disability Resulting From Chronic Health Conditions

To describe current programs and policies for addressing work disability among adults with chronic health conditions, and to identify opportunities for new research aimed at reducing the problem. The authors conducted secondary data analysis and a literature review. Millions of Americans with a chronic health condition have a work disability or are at risk of developing one. This public health problem is costing hundreds of billions of dollars a year nationally in lost productivity and diminishing the quality of life of millions of Americans. The medical care system, employers, and government--three traditional sources of help for adults with chronic health problems--are not sufficiently oriented toward the primary or secondary prevention of work disability. New research is urgently needed to reduce the burden of work disability on individuals and society.