Genres and inequality in the creative industries

Genres organize and facilitate cultural, creative and media production and consumption but are rarely central categories in extant research on creative industries. With this editorial article, we aim to reassert, reassess and revisit the salience of genres for understanding inequalities in the cultural and creative industries. We argue that genres, as classificatory devices, structure and order a gendered and racialized division of labour and occupational practice. Genres sanction what is and what is not aesthetically and ethically appropriate to do and think within specific textual categories and, hence also, within genre-specific production cultures. Genres draw boundaries, shaping and normalizing the gendered and racialized professional values and norms that underpin unequal patterns of access, distinction and career advancement within creative occupations. Cultural producers, in turn, are compelled to forge professional genre identities at the same time as constantly having to negotiate their gender and racial fitness to work and prosper in specific categories of cultural production. The contributions to this special issue elucidate, through a plethora of methodological and theoretical approaches, the links between genres and persisting inequalities across the book, screen and music industries.

The self-assessment INTERMED predicts healthcare and social costs of orthopaedic trauma patients with persistent impairments

Objective: To use the self-assessment INTERMED questionnaire to determine the relationship between biopsychosocial complexity and healthcare and social costs of patients after orthopaedic trauma. Design: Secondary prospective analysis based on the validation study cohort of the self-assessment INTERMED questionnaire. Setting: Inpatients orthopaedic rehabilitation with vocational aspects. Subjects: In total, 136 patients with chronic pain and impairments were included in this study: mean (SD) age, 42.6 (10.7) years; 116 men, with moderate pain intensity (51/100); suffering from upper ( n = 55), lower-limb ( n = 51) or spine ( n = 30) pain after orthopaedic trauma; with minor or moderate injury severity (severe injury for 25). Main measures: Biopsychosocial complexity, assessed with the self-assessment INTERMED questionnaire, and other confounding variables collected prospectively during rehabilitation. Outcome measures (healthcare costs, loss of wage costs and time for fitness-to-work) were collected through insurance files after case settlements. Linear multiple regression models adjusted for age, gender, pain, trauma severity, education and employment contract were performed to measure the influence of biopsychosocial complexity on the three outcome variables. Results: High-cost patients were older (+3.6 years) and more anxious (9.0 vs 7.3 points at HADS-A), came later to rehabilitation (+105 days), and showed higher biopsychosocial complexity (+3.2 points). After adjustment, biopsychosocial complexity was significantly associated with healthcare (ß = 0.02; P = 0.003; expß = 1.02) and social costs (ß = 0.03; P = 0.006, expß = 1.03) and duration before fitness-to-work (ß = 0.04; P < 0.001, expß = 1.04). Conclusion: Biopsychosocial complexity assessed with the self-assessment INTERMED questionnaire is associated with higher healthcare and social costs.

Social aspects of primary care

This chapter in the Oxford Handbook of General Practice explores the social aspects of primary care, from social factors and health to multicultural medicine. It includes the general practitioner’s role in cases of domestic violence and with patients who are the victims of crime. It provides guidance on patients with occupational illness and who need time off work for illness, as well as certification of fitness to work and fitness to make decisions, drive, and other activities. It also looks at dealing with bereavement, grief, and coping with loss, and provides advice for claiming benefits for low-income and sickness and disability, as well as pensions.

The effectiveness of the examination algorithm in the practice of a neurologist during preliminary medical examinations

An examination protocol for routine medical health check-ups of Mayak Production Association workers by a neurology specialist enables advanced detection and differential diagnostics of diseases of the nervous system, conclusion on fitness to work and expert assessment of a disease-occupation causal relationship.

The fitness to work certificate in a worker exposed to ionizing radiation with an oncological disease: criteria and assessment process

To assess the fitness to work certificate in employees both affected by neoplasia and exposed to ionizing radiation always represents a clinical and professional issue, as well as human and social. The aim of our study is to analyze the case of a 40-year-old clinician (woman, endoscopist, gastroenterologist) who underwent left mastectomy and breast reconstruction with a tissue expander, professionally exposed to ionizing radiation. Due to the presence of the BRCA1 gene mutation and the presence of breast and ovarian cancer familiarity, the patient also underwent a prophylactic right mastectomy and bilateral oophorectomy. According to Italian legislation and international guidelines, several elements and criteria have been taken into account to release the fitness to work certificate in this peculiar case of a female worker exposed to ionizing radiation, resulting in a final positive indication.

Fitness for Work

Fitness for Work gathers together specialist advice on the medical aspects of employment, covering the majority of medical conditions that are likely to be encountered in the working population. The aim is to inform the best occupational health advice to employers, managers, and others about the impact of a patient’s health on work and how they can be supported to gain or remain in work. The book also emphasizes the benefits to health and well-being from work. A main objective of the book is to reduce inappropriate barriers to work for those who have overcome injury and disease or who live with chronic conditions. The first half of the book deals with the general principles applying to fitness to work and occupational health practice. This includes legal aspects, ethical principles, health promotion, health surveillance, and general principles of rehabilitation. There are also chapters dealing with sickness absence, ill health retirement, medication, transport, vibration, and travel. The second half of the book is arranged in chapters according to clinical specialty or topic, written jointly by two specialists, one of whom is an occupational physician. Each specialty chapter outlines the conditions covered, including their prevalence and impact, discusses the clinical aspects including treatment that affects work capacity, notes rehabilitation requirements or special needs in the workplace, discusses problems that may arise at work and necessary work restrictions, and includes any current advisory or statutory medical standards. The recommendations are evidence based and make use of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and recent and relevant systematic reviews where available.

Seafaring, offshore energy, and diving

Seafaring, work in the offshore energy sector, and commercial diving share a number of common features that are relevant to the assessment of fitness to work. Physically and mentally demanding tasks, many of which are considered safety critical, are performed, often in an unforgiving environment. Workplaces are commonly remote from onshore health and emergency services, necessitating the provision of emergency medical and incident (including fire) response on site. Employees must be trained and physically and mentally capable of performing these rare but demanding roles. The risks from a serious injury or illness are raised by the lack of full medical care facilities.

Adult ADHD and employment

ADHD affects in a distinctive way the employment of service users. This can range from their choice of work, work performance, fitness for work, and requirements for adjustments to the workplace. Task performance, contextual performance, counterproductive work behaviour, and adaptive performance have been linked behind this impairment, and the fitness to work assessment needs to consider both the person with ADHD and the specific job the person is doing. The most evidence-based workplace intervention is treatment of ADHD with medication, although other strategies can be helpful. This, however, does not apply to every person with ADHD and many people are successfully employed.