Productivity at work and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to determine which combination of personal, disease-related and environmental factors is best associated with at-work productivity loss in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to determine whether at-work productivity loss is associated with the quality of life for these patients.MethodsThis study is based on cross-sectional data. Patients completed a questionnaire with personal, disease-related and environmental factors (related to the work environment), and clinical characteristics were obtained from patient medical records. At-work productivity loss was measured with the Work Limitations Questionnaire, and quality of life with the RAND 36. Using linear regression analyses, a multivariate model was built containing the combination of factors best associated with at-work productivity loss. This model was cross-validated internally. We furthermore determined whether at-work productivity loss was associated with quality of life using linear regression analyses.ResultsWe found that at-work productivity loss was associated with workers who had poorer mental health, more physical role limitations, were ever treated with a biological therapeutic medication, were not satisfied with their work, and had more work instability (R2 = 0.50 and R2 following cross-validation was 0.32). We found that at-work productivity loss was negatively associated with health-related quality of life, especially with dimensions of mental health, physical role limitations, and pain.ConclusionsWe found that at-work productivity loss was associated with personal, work-related, and clinical factors. Although our study results should be interpreted with caution, they provide insight into patients with RA who are at risk for at-work productivity loss.

Knowledge and selected variables as determinants of the quality of life and general health of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

“…30 The studies by van Vilsteren et al concluded that patients suffering from RA with low quality of life are characterized by decreased productivity. 26 Our study showed that economic activity has a positive effect on the general health level according to GHQ-30. Factors such as higher education and living in a city also had a positive effect on general health (GHQ-30).…”

“…21,23,24 It was also shown that the quality of life of patients with RA depends on many factors of physical, mental and social functioning sphere. 17,[19][20][21][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] Studies conducted by many authors have shown that poorer functioning of the respondents in the physical sphere is conditioned by the duration of the disease. 18,24,26,28,30 Studies by Baloglu et al and Wisłowska et al did not confirm this dependence.…”

Sjögren Syndrome and Work Disability

“…Mostly this aspect has been studied in RA 12,13,14 . In economic analyses, costs can be considered in different categories.…”

Uji Keandalan dan Kesahihan Kuesioner Kualitas Hidup Short Form 12 Berbahasa Indonesia pada Pasien Artritis Reumatoid

“…2 Penyakit ini sering menyebabkan kerusakan sendi, kecacatan dan banyak mengenai penduduk pada usia produktif, sehingga memberi dampak sosial dan ekonomi yang besar. [3][4][5][6] Para klinisi seringkali menganggap bahwa dampak terpenting dari AR ialah nyeri dan kehilangan fungsi akibat dari sinovitis dan kerusakan sendi. Tetapi artritis reumatoid memengaruhi kehidupan penderitanya melebihi aspek-aspek yang secara tradisional dikenal sebagai aspek medis.…”

“…Dampak besar bagi penderita ialah hendaya yang diakibatkan hilangnya fungsi anatomi atau fisiologi, sehingga menyebabkan gangguan, keterbatasan atau bahkan ketidakmampuan untuk melakukan perannya sebagai individu dalam kehidupan. 5,6 H i n g g a awal abad ke-20, paradigma dalam pengobatan atau pengelolaan pasien ialah hilang atau tidak adanya penyakit (absence of illness). Hal ini terutama dikarenakan pada masa itu penyakit yang mendominasi ialah penyakit infeksi (menular).…”