Early Workplace Intervention to Improve the Work Ability of Employees with Musculoskeletal Disorders in a German University Hospital—Results of a Pilot Study

Abstract

Health promotion is becoming increasingly important in work life. Healthcare workers seem to be at special risk, experiencing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD); their situation is strongly influenced by demographic changes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and outcome of a worksite intervention. In a one-group pretest-posttest design, 118 employees of a hospital were recruited from 2010 to 2011. The raised parameters were satisfaction with the program, work ability (Work Ability Index), and sickness absence (provided by human resource management). Patient-reported questionnaire data was raised at baseline (t1) and after three months (t2). Sickness leave was evaluated in the period six months prior to and six months after the intervention. Means, frequencies, standardized effect sizes (SES), analysis of variance, and regression analysis were carried out. Participants were found to be highly satisfied. Work ability increased with moderate effects (SES = 0.34; p < 0.001) and prognosis of gainful employment (SES = −0.19; p ≤ 0.047) with small effects. Days of MSD-related sickness absence were reduced by 38.5% after six months. The worksite intervention program is transferable to a hospital setting and integration in occupational health management is recommended. The use of a control group is necessary to demonstrate the effectiveness.

Developing an Extended Model of the Relation between Work Motivation and Health as Affected by the Work Ability as Part of a Corporate Age Management Approach

“…If there are employees at risk of losing their earning capacity, early workplace interventions can help to preserve their work ability. Schwarze et al [ 67 ] implemented an intervention on people with musculoskeletal disorders including workplace-management, company medical service and work-related out-patient medical prevention and rehabilitation. As a result, they show an improved work ability, health status, and working capacity and a reduction of time lost due to sick leave.…”

Differences of Four Work-Related Behavior and Experience Patterns in Work Ability and Other Work-Related Perceptions in a Finance Company

“…Since various studies agree that promoting the health behavior of employees and organizational capacity (i.e., the physical and psychosocial work environment) could be beneficial for job satisfaction, working motivation, work engagement, and performance, as well as for the prevention of sick leave, early retirement, and burnout [ 51 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 ], the implementation of integrated occupational health management and organizational development projects should be promoted.…”

Prevalence of nursing diagnostics in oil industry workers in Bahia, Brazil

“…In this scenario, the nurse practitioner has been gaining space in organizations, as long as they can work on workers' quality of life, protection against chemical, physical, biological and psychosocial agents, health maintenance, occupational or nonoccupational diseases, and in rehabilitation for work [12][13] . The Systematization of Nursing Care (SNC) is a methodology for organizing and systematizing healthcare, based on the principles of the scientific method (Figure 1), aiming to identify health-disease situations and nursing care needs, as well as to subsidize interventions for the promotion, prevention, recovery and rehabilitation of individual, family and community health [14][15] . Also, the International Classification for Nursing Practice -CIPE® 16 terminology -consists of an information system that classifies nursing phenomena, actions and results, allowing the description and characterization of nursing practice.…”