The ergonomic assessment tool for arthritis: Development and pilot testing

Village, Judy; Lacaille, Diane

doi:10.1002/art.24116

Cited by 19 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Group sessions were followed by 2 professional assessments. An occupational therapist (OT) performed an ergonomic work assessment using a standardized ergonomic assessment tool we developed for IA (26) to identify ergonomic problems and risks and recommend ergonomic modifications as job accommodations. The assessment was performed outside of the work place for feasibility and to respect some workers' preference not to disclose or draw attention to their arthritis.…”

Section: Participants and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A proof‐of‐concept study of the “employment and arthritis: Making it work” program

Lacaille

White

Rogers

et al. 2008

Arthritis & Rheumatism

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Objective. Work disability is a common outcome of inflammatory arthritis (IA), yet few services address employment. We conducted a proof-of-concept study of the "Employment and Arthritis: Making It Work" self-management program aimed at preventing work disability and maintaining at-work productivity in employed people with IA. Methods. The program was developed using the precede-proceed model and self-management concepts. Program goals included modifying risk factors for work disability and enhancing self-management of work problems due to IA, as identified in initial focus groups. The program included a self-learning manual, 5 group sessions, and individual visits with an occupational therapist for an ergonomic assessment and a vocational rehabilitation counselor. It was pilot tested in 2 groups (n ‫؍‬ 19) and evaluated over 12 months of followup. Results. Participants consisted of 19 employed women with IA. Process evaluation demonstrated feasibility and excellent attendance and use of the self-learning manual. By 1 year, 80% reported increased confidence in requesting job accommodations, 74% had requested an accommodation, and 71% of requested accommodations were implemented. The occupational therapist and vocational rehabilitation counselor visits resulted in recommendations for change in 100% and 74% of participants, respectively, with implementation of some recommended changes in 89% and 63%, respectively. Improvements were observed in self-confidence in managing problems at work, fatigue interference with work, measures of limitations, and at-work productivity. Conclusion. We developed a novel intervention to prevent work disability in patients with IA, combining self-management group sessions and professional assessments aimed at job retention, which resulted in people making changes to adapt their work to their arthritis, and improved fatigue, self-efficacy, and at-work productivity.

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Section: Participants and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A proof‐of‐concept study of the “employment and arthritis: Making it work” program

Lacaille

White

Rogers

et al. 2008

Arthritis & Rheumatism

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“…A consistent body of research highlights the negative impact of arthritis on employment, with many individuals reporting difficulties with work activities or even having to give up their jobs (1–11). As a result, there has been increased attention to the need for work place–focused interventions that would enable individuals with arthritis to remain employed (12–18). However, the ultimate success of these interventions may relate, in part, to whether individuals are willing to tell employers and coworkers about their disease.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Should I tell my employer and coworkers I have arthritis?” A longitudinal examination of self‐disclosure in the work place

Gignac

Cao

2009

Arthritis & Rheumatism

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Objective. To examine arthritis self-disclosure at work, factors associated with disclosure, and prospective relationships of self-disclosure and work place support with changes to work place interactions, work transitions, and work place stress. Methods. Using a structured questionnaire, participants with osteoarthritis or inflammatory arthritis were interviewed at 4 time points, 18 months apart. At time 1, all participants (n ‫؍‬ 490; 381 women, 109 men) were employed. Of the entire sample, 71% were retained throughout the study. Respondents were recruited using community advertising and from rheumatology and rehabilitation clinics. Self-disclosure and perceived support from managers and coworkers was assessed, as well as demographic, illness, work-context, and psychological variables. Generalized estimating equations modeled associations of disclosure and support on changes at work (e.g., job disruptions, work place stress). Results. At each time point, 70.6 -76.6% of participants had self-disclosed arthritis to their manager and 85.2-88.1% had told a coworker. Intraindividual variability in disclosure was considerable. Factors associated with self-disclosure were often inconsistent over time, with the exception of variables assessing the need to self-disclose (e.g., activity limitations) and perceived coworker support. Self-disclosure was not associated with changes to work. However, coworker support was related to fewer job disruptions, help with work tasks, and being less likely to reduce hours. Perceived managerial support was associated with less work place stress. Conclusion. Greater awareness is needed about issues related to self-disclosing arthritis at work. This study emphasizes the importance of a supportive work place, especially supportive coworkers, in decisions to discuss arthritis at work and in changes to work that might enable people to remain employed.

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“…After completing the web-based modules and group meetings, participants have an in-person consultation with an OT for an ergonomic assessment of their work. The OT uses a standardized tool we developed for people with IA called the Ergonomic Assessment Tool for Arthritis (EATA) [35], to identify ergonomic problems and risks, and recommend ergonomic modifications as job accommodations. A telephone follow-up is performed one month later to discuss implementation of recommendations and help overcome barriers.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Employment and arthritis: making it work” a randomized controlled trial evaluating an online program to help people with inflammatory arthritis maintain employment (study protocol)

Carruthers

Rogers

Goldsmith

et al. 2014

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak

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BackgroundArthritis and musculoskeletal conditions are the leading cause of long-term work disability (WD), an outcome with a major impact on quality of life and a high cost to society. The importance of decreased at-work productivity has also recently been recognized. Despite the importance of these problems, few interventions have been developed to reduce the impact of arthritis on employment. We have developed a novel intervention called “Making It Work”, a program to help people with inflammatory arthritis (IA) deal with employment issues, prevent WD and improve at-work productivity. After favorable results in a proof-of-concept study, we converted the program to a web-based format for broader dissemination and improved accessibility. The objectives of this study are: 1) to evaluate in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) the effectiveness of the program at preventing work cessation and improving at-work productivity; 2) to perform a cost-utility analysis of the intervention.Methods/Design526 participants with IA will be recruited from British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario in Canada. The intervention consists of a) 5 online group sessions; b) 5 web-based e-learning modules; c) consultations with an occupational therapist for an ergonomic work assessment and a vocational rehabilitation counselor. Questionnaires will be administered online at baseline and every 6 months to collect information about demographics, disease measures, costs, work-related risk factors for WD, quality of life, and work outcomes. Primary outcomes include at-work productivity and time to work cessation of > 6 months for any reason. Secondary outcomes include temporary work cessation, number of days missed from work per year, reduction in hours worked per week, quality adjusted life year for the cost utility analysis, and changes from baseline in employment risk factors. Analysis of Variance will evaluate the intervention’s effect on at-work productivity, and multivariable Cox regression models will estimate the risk of work cessation associated with the intervention after controlling for risk factors for WD and other important predictors imbalanced at baseline.DiscussionThis program fills an important gap in arthritis health services and addresses an important and costly problem. Knowledge gained from the RCT will be useful to health care professionals, policy planners and arthritis stakeholders.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01852851; registered April 13, 2012; first participant randomized on July 6, 2013.

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The ergonomic assessment tool for arthritis: Development and pilot testing

Cited by 19 publications

References 21 publications

A proof‐of‐concept study of the “employment and arthritis: Making it work” program

A proof‐of‐concept study of the “employment and arthritis: Making it work” program

“Should I tell my employer and coworkers I have arthritis?” A longitudinal examination of self‐disclosure in the work place

“Employment and arthritis: making it work” a randomized controlled trial evaluating an online program to help people with inflammatory arthritis maintain employment (study protocol)

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