Background/Purpose:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease with a profound impact on a person’s working life. Besides permanent work disability and sick leave, at-work productivity is often impacted by RA. It was shown that reduced at-work productivity has the greatest impact on costs for RA patients, followed by wage loss from stopping or changing jobs, decreased hours, and finally missed work days (absenteeism). At-work productivity decreases when a person is present at work, but is limited in meeting work demands. The Care for Work intervention program is a multidisciplinary intervention with the aim to improve at-work productivity. The intervention program consists of integrated care, coordinated by a clinical occupational physician, and a participatory workplace intervention, coordinated by an occupational therapist. The intervention was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) which includes 113 participants.
Objectives: To determine the effects of the intervention program on work productivity, work instability, and supervisor support after 6 months of follow up in workers with rheumatoid arthritis compared to usual care.
Methods:
This study is an RCT. Participants were RA patients who are involved in paid work for at least 8 hours per week, recruited from outpatient clinics of rheumatology. Outcome measures were at-work productivity (measured with the Work Limitations Questionnaire, a higher score indicates more limitations at work), work instability (measured with the RAWIS, a higher score indicates more work instability), and supervisor support (measured with the subscale Supervisor Support of the Job Content Questionnaire, a higher score indicates more supervisor support). Data were analyzed using linear regression models according to the intention-to-treat principle.
Results:
The intervention program did not show an effect on at-work productivity (B: 0.328, 95% CI -0.560 – 1.217), work instability (B: -0.697, 95% CI -2.05 – 0.66), and supervisor support (B: 0.10, 95% CI -0.12 – 0.32).
Conclusion:
The intervention program did not show beneficial effects on at-work productivity, work instability and supervisor support after 6 months.
Disclosure:
M. van Vilsteren,
None;
C. Boot,
None;
D. van Schaardenburg,
None;
R. Steenbeek,
None;
A. E. Voskuyl,
None;
J. Anema,
None.
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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/effectiveness-of-a-workplace-integrated-care-intervention-on-work-productivity-in-workers-with-rheumatoid-arthritis/