Comparisons between five self-administered instruments predicting sick leaves in a 4-year follow-up

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to explore and compare the ability of five instruments for self-rating to predict future sick leave rates. MethodsIn three Swedish municipalities 2 252 employees completed a baseline questionnaire and were followed up for 4 years. Five health-oriented instruments for self-rating were used as potential predictors of the two outcome measures no sick leave at all, and one or more spells of long-term sick leave ≥ 28days. Positive and negative predictive values as well as Cox proportional hazard ratios (denoted as RRs) adjusted for age and work type were calculated. ResultsThe instruments showed no statistical difference in predicting future sick leave for either of the sexes. For no sick leave RRs ranged between 1.27 and 1.52 (women), 1.35 and 1.61 (men); for long-term sick leave RRs ranged between 1.78 and 2.39 (women), 2.87 and 5.53 (men). However the best prediction of long-term sick leave for men, RR 5.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.37-9.08, was significantly higher than the best prediction for women, RR 2.39, 95% CI 1.97-2.90.Conclusion Prediction of long-term sick leave was better than that of no sick leave, and better among men than among women. There was a tendency for somewhat better prediction of future sick leave by multiple-question instruments, but single-question instruments can very well be used in predicting future sick leaves, and crude analyses stratified by sex can be used for screening purposes.

Screening manual and office workers for risk of long-term sickness absence: cut-off points for the Work Ability Index

“…Lindberg et al (18) investigated the predictive value of the WAI for LTSA episodes ≥28 days in a population-based sample (N=2252) from three Swedish municipalities. The authors found that workers with poor-to-moderate WAI scores had a 1.6 (women) to 2.1 (men) times higher risk of LTSA as compared to workers with good to excellent WAI scores.…”

Is an expert diagnosis enough for assessment of sick leave for employees with musculoskeletal and mental disorders?

“…Kujala et al [38] showed that poor work ability, defined as a low score on the WAI, was associated with sickness absence for men and women. The WAI is also predictive of future sick leave, particularly long-term sick leave and receiving a disability pension [67,68] This study has some limitations that must be considered when interpreting the results and does not guarantee generalisability for all employees with MSD and/or MD. We used a convenience sample, which mainly consisted of female employees working in the public sector and with long-standing symptoms.…”

“…The WAI is a broad tool that captures several dimensions of relevance for work ability and sick leave. The WAI is considered a feasible screening tool [68] and can be used as a first step in assessing work ability to obtain a general picture of how well an employee with MSD and/or MD is able to perform their work. The well as physical and mental conditions [41].…”

Measuring job quality: A study with bus drivers

“…The current study assessed self -rated health (SRH), which has been shown to predict sickness absence, ill health and mortality (Lindberg et al, 2009;SinghManoux et al, 2007). DGB-Index scores were higher amongst those who reported that their health was good than those who considered their health to be fair or poor (Table 5) and amongst those who believed that their work was good for their health.…”