Return to Work Expectations of Workers on Long-Term Non-Work-Related Sick Leave

Sickness absenteeism in public institutions compromises the execution of services, and may also generate direct impacts on the population that receives coverage. To determine if sick leave duration for temporary disabilities is associated with non-work-related illnesses (NWRI), a historical cohort study was carried out of workers at a Brazilian University. The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was obtained from the most prevalent diagnoses in each expert examination and from the corresponding days of sick leave per episode, adjusting simple and multiple Cox regression models. As a result, 70% of the NWRI temporary disabilities were due to depressive disorders, convalescence, and dorsalgia with a sick leave duration between 4 and 320 days. The factors of protection for sick leave durations until the rehabilitation were non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Long-term sick leaves were observed in the cases that required rehabilitation of those workers diagnosed with recurrent depressive disorders, conjunctivitis, acute sinusitis, skin disorders, calculus of kidney and ureter, abdominal and pelvic pain, and same-level fall accidents. It is also worth noting that even in a disease that can justify long-term sick leaves, such as breast cancer, the duration may be shorter according to the worker’s capacity and self-efficacy.

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Sustained improvement in work outcomes in employed patients with rheumatoid arthritis during 2 years of adalimumab therapy: an observational cohort study

Clinical Rheumatology ◽

10.1007/s10067-020-05038-y ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 39 (9) ◽

pp. 2583-2592

Author(s):

Frank Behrens ◽

Hans-Peter Tony ◽

Michaela Koehm ◽

Eva C. Schwaneck ◽

Holger Gnann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Sick Leave ◽

Disease Activity ◽

Work Productivity ◽

Work Outcomes ◽

Work Related ◽

Adalimumab Therapy ◽

Adalimumab Treatment ◽

Observational Cohort

Abstract Objective The goal of this study was to evaluate the long-term impact of adalimumab therapy on work-related outcomes in employed patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Method We utilized data from an observational cohort of German patients who initiated adalimumab treatment during routine clinical care. Analyses were based on employed patients (part-time or full-time) who continued adalimumab treatment for 24 months. Major outcomes were self-reported sick leave days in the previous 6 months, absenteeism, presenteeism, and total work productivity impairment as assessed by the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire and disease activity assessments. The normal number of sick leave days was based on data from the German Federal Statistical Office. Results Of 783 patients, 72.3% were women, mean age was 47.9 years, and mean disease duration was 7.8 years. At baseline (before adalimumab initiation), 42.9% of patients had higher than normal sick leave days (> 5) in the previous 6 months. During 24 months of adalimumab treatment, 61% of patients with higher than normal sick leave days at baseline returned to normal sick leave values (≤ 5 days/6 months). Overall, mean sick leave days/6 months decreased from 14.8 days at baseline to 7.4 days at month 24. Improvements were observed in WPAI assessments and disease activity measures, although presenteeism levels remained high (32.2% at month 24). Conclusions Adalimumab treatment was associated with strong and sustained improvements in work-related outcomes in employed patients who continued on adalimumab for 24 months. Presenteeism appears to be the work outcome most resistant to improvement during RA treatment. Trial registration NCT01076205 Key Points• Long-term adalimumab therapy was associated with sustained improvements in work outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.• Despite improvements in sick leave days and work absenteeism, presenteeism (impairment while at work) remained relatively high.

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Return to work following meningioma surgery: a Swedish nationwide registry-based matched cohort study

Neuro-Oncology Practice ◽

10.1093/nop/npz066 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 320-328 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Erik Thurin ◽

Alba Corell ◽

Sasha Gulati ◽

Anja Smits ◽

Roger Henriksson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sick Leave ◽

Return To Work ◽

Previous History ◽

Tumor Grade ◽

Neurological Impairment ◽

Neurological Deficits ◽

Intracranial Meningioma ◽

Patients Âgés ◽

Meningioma Surgery

Abstract Background Meningioma is the most common primary intracranial tumor. It is usually slow growing and benign, and surgery is the main treatment modality. There are limited data on return to work following meningioma surgery. The objective of this study was to determine the patterns of sick-leave rate prior to surgery, and up to 2 years after, in patients compared to matched controls. Methods Data on patients ages 18 to 60 years with histologically verified intracranial meningioma between 2009 and 2015 were identified in the Swedish Brain Tumor Registry (SBTR) and linked to 3 national registries after 5 matched controls were assigned to each patient. Results We analyzed 956 patients and 4765 controls. One year prior to surgery, 79% of meningioma patients and 86% of controls were working (P < .001). The proportion of patients at work 2 years after surgery was 57%, in contrast to 84% of controls (P < .001). Statistically significant negative predictors for return to work in patients 2 years after surgery were high (vs low) tumor grade, previous history of depression, amount of sick leave in the year preceding surgery, and surgically acquired neurological deficits. Conclusion There is a considerable risk for long term sick leave 2 years after meningioma surgery. Neurological impairment following surgery was a modifiable risk factor increasing the risk for long-term sick leave. More effective treatment of depression may facilitate return to work in this patient group.

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Gender Differences in Personal and Work-Related Determinants of Return-to-Work Following Long-Term Disability: A 5-Year Cohort Study

Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation ◽

10.1007/s10926-012-9366-0 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 522-531 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Valérie Lederer ◽

Michèle Rivard ◽

Samia Djemaa Mechakra-Tahiri

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Return To Work ◽

Work Related

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Use of Motivational Interviewing to Improve Return-to-work and Work-related Outcomes: A Review

Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling ◽

10.1017/jrc.2014.5 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 38-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Kathryn M. Page ◽

Irina Tchernitskaia

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Return To Work ◽

Motivational Interviewing ◽

Work Disability ◽

Clinical Settings ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Work Related ◽

Health Behaviour Change ◽

Behavioural Factors

Work-based return-to-work (RTW) interventions can help to reduce the duration and cost of work disability, and in turn, prevent the negative effects of long-term sickness absence. However, there are a number of complex cognitive, affective and behavioural factors that can impact an individual's confidence, motivation and willingness to RTW that need to be addressed to facilitate effective outcomes. This literature review investigates evidence for the use of motivational interviewing (MI) for improving return-to-work (RTW) and employment outcomes. Whilst evidence for the efficacy of MI in clinical settings to motivate health behaviour change is strong, more research is needed to determine whether MI can be usefully applied to improve RTW and other work-related outcomes.

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