Working Conditions and Their Importance for Eliminating Errors in the Order Picking Process, Using an E-Commerce Commercial Enterprise as an Example

The research presented herein aims to pinpoint the factors that cause errors in the order picking process in an e-commerce enterprise and to confirm or deny the assumption that these factors largely concern employees and their working conditions. Research method: A case study strategy, observation (non-compliance cards and identification of working conditions), and Lorenz–Pareto and Ishikawa were the methods used. Results: The research results indicate that working conditions are a key factor influencing the number of errors in the picking process. The usefulness of the research: The results show that paying particular attention to working conditions is not only good in the context of caring for the well-being of employees, but also as a means to reduce the number of errors and improve the pace of work. Limitations: Due to the methods used, which in turn result from the large variety of e-commerce entities, the research results are not universal and are limited to a specific situational context.

Environmental issues on covid-19 medical waste: review from policy perspective

The Covid-19 pandemic brings two sides to the environment. On one side, it reduces air pollution due to travel and work limitations but on the other hand, medical waste increases. This contradictory situation on the environment has been studied by research all around the world. This study is trying to map the concern of experts on environmental issues during Covid-19. This paper conducts a systematic literature review from prominent databases to portray the environmental issues that emerged during the Covid-19 Pandemic from a policy perspective. Unique keywords that combine environment, covid-19, and policy filtered the literature available in the research database. No less than 152 literature were collected and extracted using PRISMA approach. The result indicates very limited policy issued by the government to protect the environment for the post-covid era.

Indigenization and authentization of epistemology in China’s social work: Moving beyond Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese Buddhism

How China’s social work can establish its own epistemology has remained largely unexplored. This article focuses on Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese Buddhism to start this epistemological exploration, as they represent Chinese culture and can provide valuable epistemological elements for China’s social work. Moving beyond epistemological elements from these philosophies, how social workers in China can further develop social work research and practice based on the unique Chinese context is also discussed, specifically through the processes of indigenization and authentization of epistemology in China’s social work. Limitations and future research directions are also presented to guide future discussion.

Associations of multiple (≥5) chronic conditions among a nationally representative sample of older United States adults with self-reported pain

Objectives The association between an individuals’ demographic and health characteristics and the presence of multiple chronic conditions is not well known among older United States (US) adults. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and associations of having multiple chronic conditions among older US adults with self-reported pain. Methods This retrospective, cross-sectional study used data from the 2017 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Study subjects were aged ≥50 years and had self-reported pain in the past four weeks. The outcome variable was multiple (≥5) chronic conditions (vs. <5 chronic conditions). Hierarchical logistic regression models were used to identify significant associations between demographic and health characteristics and multiple chronic conditions with significance indicated at an a priori alpha level of 0.05. The complex survey design was accounted for when obtaining nationally-representative estimates. Results The weighted population was 57,074,842 US older adults with pain, of which, 66.1% had ≥5 chronic conditions. In fully-adjusted analyses, significant associations of ≥5 comorbid chronic conditions included: age 50–64 vs. ≥65 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=0.478, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.391, 0.584); male vs. female gender (AOR=1.271, 95% CI=1.063, 1.519); white vs. other race (AOR=1.220, 95% CI=1.016, 1.465); Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic ethnicity (AOR=0.614, 95% CI=0.475, 0.793); employed vs. unemployed (AOR=0.591, 95% CI=0.476, 0.733); functional limitations vs. no functional limitations (AOR=1.862, 95% CI=1.510, 2.298); work limitations vs. no work limitations (AOR=1.588, 95% CI=1.275, 1.976); little/moderate vs. quite a bit/extreme pain (AOR=0.732, 95% CI=0.599, 0.893); and excellent/very good (AOR=0.375, 95% CI=0.294, 0.480) or good (AOR=0.661, 95% CI=0.540, 0.810) vs. fair/poor physical health. Conclusions Approximately 38 million of the 57 million US older adults with pain in this study had ≥5 chronic conditions in 2017. Several characteristics were associated with multiple chronic conditions, which may be important for health care professionals to consider when working with patients to manage their pain. This study was approved by The University of Arizona Institutional Review Board (2006721124, June 12, 2020).

Real time remote symptom monitoring during chemotherapy for cancer: European multicentre randomised controlled trial (eSMART)

Objective To evaluate effects of remote monitoring of adjuvant chemotherapy related side effects via the Advanced Symptom Management System (ASyMS) on symptom burden, quality of life, supportive care needs, anxiety, self-efficacy, and work limitations. Design Multicentre, repeated measures, parallel group, evaluator masked, stratified randomised controlled trial. Setting Twelve cancer centres in Austria, Greece, Norway, Republic of Ireland, and UK. Participants 829 patients with non-metastatic breast cancer, colorectal cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma receiving first line adjuvant chemotherapy or chemotherapy for the first time in five years. Intervention Patients were randomised to ASyMS (intervention; n=415) or standard care (control; n=414) over six cycles of chemotherapy. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was symptom burden (Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale; MSAS). Secondary outcomes were health related quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—General; FACT-G), Supportive Care Needs Survey Short-Form (SCNS-SF34), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory—Revised (STAI-R), Communication and Attitudinal Self-Efficacy scale for cancer (CASE-Cancer), and work limitations questionnaire (WLQ). Results For the intervention group, symptom burden remained at pre-chemotherapy treatment levels, whereas controls reported an increase from cycle 1 onwards (least squares absolute mean difference −0.15, 95% confidence interval −0.19 to −0.12; P<0.001; Cohen’s D effect size=0.5). Analysis of MSAS sub-domains indicated significant reductions in favour of ASyMS for global distress index (−0.21, −0.27 to −0.16; P<0.001), psychological symptoms (−0.16, −0.23 to −0.10; P<0.001), and physical symptoms (−0.21, −0.26 to −0.17; P<0.001). FACT-G scores were higher in the intervention group across all cycles (mean difference 4.06, 95% confidence interval 2.65 to 5.46; P<0.001), whereas mean scores for STAI-R trait (−1.15, −1.90 to −0.41; P=0.003) and STAI-R state anxiety (−1.13, −2.06 to −0.20; P=0.02) were lower. CASE-Cancer scores were higher in the intervention group (mean difference 0.81, 0.19 to 1.43; P=0.01), and most SCNS-SF34 domains were lower, including sexuality needs (−1.56, −3.11 to −0.01; P<0.05), patient care and support needs (−1.74, −3.31 to −0.16; P=0.03), and physical and daily living needs (−2.8, −5.0 to −0.6; P=0.01). Other SCNS-SF34 domains and WLQ were not significantly different. Safety of ASyMS was satisfactory. Neutropenic events were higher in the intervention group. Conclusions Significant reduction in symptom burden supports the use of ASyMS for remote symptom monitoring in cancer care. A “medium” Cohen’s effect size of 0.5 showed a sizable, positive clinical effect of ASyMS on patients’ symptom experiences. Remote monitoring systems will be vital for future services, particularly with blended models of care delivery arising from the covid-19 pandemic. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02356081 .

“Today I felt like my work meant something”: A pilot study on job crafting, a coaching-based intervention for people with work limitations and disabilities

BACKGROUND: People’s work life and career can ultimately be deconstructed to the day-to-day job tasks they perform, the people they interact with, and the value and meaning attached to their jobs. Individuals with work limitations and disabilities consistently experience disparities in the workplace resulting in a less than optimal work experience in all three areas. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to conduct a pilot study to test the effectiveness of job crafting as an occupational therapy (OT) intervention strategy for workers with health conditions and impairments. Job crafting is a proactive, strengths-based, bottom-up approach where workers renegotiate and redefine their job tasks in a personally meaningful way. METHODS: A mixed-methods study (n = 11) was conducted with workers who experience work limitations and disabilities. OT graduate students conducted in-depth interviews and facilitated the use of job crafting to improve work-related outcomes. Pre-and post-intervention data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Qualitative data was transcribed, coded, and synthesized. RESULTS: The job crafting intervention improved work-related self-efficacy (p < 0.05) and crafting behaviors (p < 0.05) in the workplace. Participants accomplished goals to manage their work limitations, meet job demands, and other non-disability related challenges. CONCLUSIONS: Job crafting has the potential to be used as a holistic OT intervention strategy to improve work-related self-efficacy among workers with work limitations and disabilities

Helping Cancer Survivors Return to Work

Work limitations due to health problems can range from mild or transient limitations to persistent, long‐term dysfunction and can lead to employment instability, underemployment, and even loss of employment. In fact, compared with a healthy matched control population, cancer survivors are 1.37 times more likely to be unemployed. Because patients with metastatic disease are particularly vulnerable, proactive discussion regarding the potential impact of treatment on employment and work outcomes may be beneficial. However, employment and financial toxicity are not topics that clinicians are necessarily trained to address. Financial counselors or patient navigators may be better able to offer a personalized approach and help survivors navigate the complex resources that are involved. Additional research into cancer‐related work outcomes is needed.