Interventions to enhance work participation of workers with a chronic disease: a systematic review of reviews

Abstract

The aim of this systematic review was to provide an overview of the available effective interventions that enhance work participation of people with a chronic disease, irrespective of their diagnosis. A search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library, searching for systematic reviews published between 2004 and February 2015. Systematic reviews were eligible for inclusion if they described an intervention aimed at enhancing work participation and included participants of working age (18-65 years) with a chronic disease. Reviews had to include populations having different chronic diseases. The quality of the included reviews was evaluated using the quality instrument AMSTAR. Results of reviews of medium and high quality were described in this review. The search resulted in 9 reviews, 5 of which were of medium quality. No high quality reviews were retrieved. 1 review reported inconclusive evidence for policy-based return to work initiatives. The 4 other reviews described interventions focused on changes at work, such as changes in work organisation, working conditions and work environment. Of these 4 reviews, 3 reported beneficial effects of the intervention on work participation. Interventions examined in populations having different chronic diseases were mainly focused on changes at work. The majority of the included interventions were reported to be effective in enhancing work participation of people with a chronic disease, indicating that interventions directed at work could be considered for a generic approach in order to enhance work participation in various chronic diseases.

Employment among Patients Starting Dialysis in the United States

“…Among patients with CKD, occupational stress impairs work ability (29), whereas depression and feelings of social isolation may create additional barriers to employment (3,30). Although vocational rehabilitation efforts directed at patients with chronic illness have had mixed success (31)(32)(33), a multidisciplinary psychosocial intervention targeting workers with advanced CKD successfully helped patients remain employed as they transitioned to dialysis (34). Psychosocial interventions that address the organizations where patients with advanced CKD work, employer perspectives, and physical and social aspects of the workplace may be particularly successful (35).…”

Joint association of multimorbidity and work ability with risk of long-term sickness absence: a prospective cohort study with register follow-up

“…This is likely due to unhealthy lifestyle and improved treatment, increasing survival rates of individuals with a chronic disease (1). In Denmark, 34.9% of the adult population report having at least one chronic disease and the prevalence increases with age (2).…”

“…Hence, a lower employment rate have been observed among people with a chronic disease compared with healthy individuals (1,16). Workers with a chronic disease often experience difficulties in meeting physical and psychosocial work demands, which further challenges their capacity to participate in gainful employment (17).…”

Links between organizational preparedness and employee action to seek support among a Japanese working population with chronic diseases

“…Encouraging people with chronic diseases to combine work and disease treatment also benefits aging societies economically. Workplace interventions to enable people with chronic diseases to combine work and treatment are therefore an important factor in improving their ability to continue working …”