Lost Productive Work Time Costs From Health Conditions in the United States: Results From the American Productivity Audit

Abstract

The American Productivity Audit (APA) is a telephone survey of a random sample of 28,902 U.S. workers designed to quantify the impact of health conditions on work. Lost productive time (LPT) was measured for personal and family health reasons and expressed in hours and dollars. Health-related LPT cost employers 225.8 billion US dollars/year (1685 US dollars/employee per year); 71% is explained by reduced performance at work. Personal health LPT was 30% higher in females and twice as high in smokers (> or =1 pack/day) versus nonsmokers. Workers in high-demand, low-control jobs had the lowest average LPT/week versus the highest LPT for those in low-demand, high-control jobs. Family health-related work absence accounted for 6% of all health-related LPT. Health-related LPT costs are substantial but largely invisible to employers. Costs vary significantly by worker characteristics, suggesting that intervention needs vary by specific subgroups.

Pain exacerbation as a major source of lost productive time in US workers with arthritis

“…LPT was derived from the Work and Health Interview as described previously (11,18). Arthritis-related LPT was confined to pain-related LPT specifically due to arthritis or joint pain only.…”

“…A 2-step weighting method accounted for selective participation (i.e., noncoverage and nonresponse) (18). In the first step, a weight was applied to individuals to account for the unequal probability of selecting households.…”

“…The Caremark American Productivity Audit (i.e., audit) is a US national, population-based, random-digit-dial telephone survey that measures the relationship between health and productive work time (18). The arthritis study was designed as a case-control study nested within the audit survey and focused specifically on workers with arthritis.…”

Preventive Pharmacologic Treatments for Episodic Migraine in Adults

“…[4][5][6][7] The National Headache Foundation defined migraine as episodic (<15) or chronic (≥15 days per month for at least 3 months). [8][9][10] Many adults with episodic migraine experience serious lifestyle restrictions [11][12][13] and need preventive medications. 5,14,15 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved four drugs for episodic migraine prevention in adults: two beta blockers (propranolol and timolol) and two antiepileptic drugs (topiramate and divalproex sodium).…”

Effect of daily migraine prevention on health care utilisation in an insured patient population

“…Moreover, migraine headaches are a significant source of patient disability [2-6, 8, 9]. This disability has in turn been linked to reduced productivity during arguably the most productive years of a person's life [10,11]. As such, treatments that enhance the management of migraine in a safe and cost-effective manner should be a priority for health care organisations.…”