Chronic pain in the workplace: A diary study of pain interference at work and worker strain

Fragoso, Zachary; McGonagle, Alyssa K.

doi:10.1002/smi.2801

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 72 publications

(72 reference statements)

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“…With regard to unmanageable work-related demands, previous research suggests that practitioners need to design effective workplace interventions to enable individuals to effectively manage pain and their work without serious implications as well as to prevent disability and promote health among workers with chronic pain [22]. Interventions of this type directed at women with CWP may benefit from considering several dimensions of work-related demands, as the results demonstrate the individual nature of the pain journey.…”

Section: Environmental Circumstancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women’s experiences of the journey to chronic widespread pain: a qualitative study

Svensson

Larsson

Aili

2020

BMC Musculoskelet Disord

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Background: Chronic widespread pain (CWP) is a musculoskeletal disorder that affects approximately 10% of the population. It is more common in women than in men. It is important to understand how CWP develops and how it is maintained in order to prevent poor pain prognosis. Long term studies have shown that a mere part improves over time or fluctuates in their CWP condition. Female gender is one of the factors associated with persistence of CWP, suggesting men and women may experience their journey to CWP differently. The aim of the study was to explore women's experiences of the journey to CWP. Methods: 19 women between 45 and 67 years of age who had not reported CWP in the EPIPAIN survey in 1995, but reported CWP in 2016, participated in the study. Data was collected through individual interviews, where openended questions were used to explore the women's experiences of their pain journey. The interviews were analyzed with a manifest qualitative content analysis. Results: The women described their journey to CWP in terms of triggering, aggravating, and consolidating factors, from which three different categories emerged. Experiencing that environmental circumstances affect the pain journey refers to factors outside the women's immediate control, which appeared as unmanageable work-related demands, lack of social support, unfavorable physical environments, and traumatic events. Experiencing that lifestyle affects the pain journey refers to events that are consciously or unconsciously carried out by the women, including different levels of physical efforts and unfavorable behaviors. Experiencing that personal attributes affect the pain journey refers to the women's characteristics in terms of an anxious state of mind and adverse biological impact. Conclusions: The women experienced that environmental circumstances, lifestyle, and personal attributes affected their CWP. How these adversities influenced the pain journey varied among the women. These findings show that women are conscious of the complexity of the condition and can describe the broad context of their pain journey. This study confirms the complexity of pain progress and highlights the individual's awareness of this complexity, which is important to consider when introducing interventions, and when expecting compliance to interventions.

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Section: Environmental Circumstancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women’s experiences of the journey to chronic widespread pain: a qualitative study

Svensson

Larsson

Aili

2020

BMC Musculoskelet Disord

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“…[1][2][3] People with chronic pain often report pain that decreases work ability and increases absence from work. [4][5][6] Chronic pain is the second most common reason for sick leave in Sweden. 7 Longer periods of sick leave are common -eg, about 9% of sickness absence due to back pain lasts for over a year.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Work Interventions Within Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation Programs (IPRP) – Frequency, Patient Characteristics, and Association with Self-Rated Work Ability

Svanholm¹,

Björk²,

Löfgren³

et al. 2023

JPR

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Background Interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation programs (IPRPs) help people with chronic pain improve their health and manage their work; however, the way IPRPs address sick leave could be improved. Although work interventions can be a part of IPRP, it is not well known how and to what extent. Aim This study explores the frequency of work interventions and the characteristics of patients who participate in work interventions as part of IPRP at specialist pain rehabilitation departments in Sweden. In addition, this study explores the association between participation in work interventions and change in patients’ self-rated work ability after IPRP. Methods Data from the Swedish quality registry for pain rehabilitation (SQRP), which includes 3809 patients between 2016 and 2018, were analysed with descriptive statistics and regression analyses. Results The results indicate a high participation rate in work interventions (90%). Some differences were evident concerning characteristics of patients who participated in different work interventions. The return-to-work (RTW) plan, the most frequently used work intervention, had the strongest association with change in self-rated work ability after IPRP. However, the effect sizes were small, and the initial score best explained the change. Furthermore, there were differences between employed and unemployed patients and employment had a positive association with change in self-rated work ability. Conclusion More research is needed to understand IPRP’s mechanisms and work interventions to support patients with chronic pain, reduce sick leave, and manage work. Employment status needs to be considered and interventions should be tailored to match the individual needs.

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“…Chronic pain is considered a work-related stressor, since pain interference during the working day can impact on mood and lead to exhaustion, irrespective of pain severity [ 15 ]. For people with painful conditions, there are many employment challenges including physical limitations and ergonomics, work transitions or accommodations, stigma, the complexity of disclosure, social support at work, and the unpredictability of painful conditions or condition progression [ 16 , 17 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Pain at Work Toolkit for Employees with Chronic or Persistent Pain: A Collaborative-Participatory Study

2021

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Self-management tools for people with chronic or persistent pain tend to focus on symptom reporting, treatment programmes or exercise and do not address barriers to work, facilitators of work ability, or workplace pain self-management strategies. We developed the Pain at Work (PAW) toolkit, an evidence-based digital toolkit to provide advice on how employees can self-manage their pain at work. In a collaborative-participatory design, 4-step Agile methodology (N = 452) was used to co-create the toolkit with healthcare professionals, employers and people with chronic or persistent pain. Step 1: stakeholder consultation event (n = 27) established content and format; Step 2: online survey with employees who have persistent pain (n = 274) showed employees fear disclosing their condition, and commonly report discrimination and lack of line manager support. Step 3: online employer survey (n = 107) showed employers rarely provide self-management materials or education around managing pain at work, occupational health recommendations for reasonable adjustments are not always actioned, and pain-related stigma is common. Step 4: Toolkit development integrated findings and recommendations from Steps 1–3, and iterative expert peer review was conducted (n = 40). The PAW toolkit provides (a) evidence-based guidelines and signposting around work-capacity advice and support; (b) self-management strategies around working with chronic or persistent pain, (c) promotion of healthy lifestyles, and quality of life at work; (d) advice on adjustments to working environments and workplace solutions to facilitate work participation.

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Chronic pain in the workplace: A diary study of pain interference at work and worker strain

Cited by 13 publications

References 72 publications

Women’s experiences of the journey to chronic widespread pain: a qualitative study

Women’s experiences of the journey to chronic widespread pain: a qualitative study

Work Interventions Within Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation Programs (IPRP) – Frequency, Patient Characteristics, and Association with Self-Rated Work Ability

The Pain at Work Toolkit for Employees with Chronic or Persistent Pain: A Collaborative-Participatory Study

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