Quality improvement activity in occupational healthcare associated with reduced need for disability
                    retirement: A Bayesian mixed effects modelling study in Finland

Kuronen, Jarmo; Winell, Klas; Kopra, Juho; Räsänen, Kimmo

doi:10.5271/sjweh.3901

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…A Norwegian study identified lower rates of disability pension among employees with reduced work capacity in an intervention group that received work adjustments, including the use of technical aids, change of role or work tasks or reduced working hours, (Midtsundstad and Nielsen 2016 ). In line with our findings, a Finnish study reported that the affiliation of an occupational health care unit with the quality network as an intervention resulted in reduced numbers of employees requiring a full permanent or provisional disability pensions (Kuronen et al 2020 ). The risk of work disability was also reduced among Finnish employees in a vocationally oriented multidisciplinary intervention program, which involved a learning process to support the maintenance of employees’ long-term work ability (Suoyrjö et al 2009 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The content of the interventions in earlier studies varied: some studies changed working conditions such as work adjustments, a change of the role or work task, reduced working hours (Midtsundstad and Nielsen 2016 ; Boer et al 2004 ), being affiliated with a quality network of occupational healthcare (Kuronen et al 2020 ), and counselling and education program (Boer et al 2007 ). In our study, the intervention included the options of choices relating to adjusting work arrangements in relation to an employee’s individual work ability (Siukola 2013 ), which has similarities to an earlier Dutch (Boer et al 2004 ) and Norwegian (Midtsundstad and Nielsen 2016 ) study in some respects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can workplace intervention prolong work life of older workers? A quasi-experimental study

Neupane

Kyrönlahti

Oakman

et al. 2022

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

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Background We aimed to evaluate the impact of a workplace senior program intervention on early exit from labor market and on the disability retirement among older employees and work-related physical factors associated with it. Methods A total of 259 individuals aged 55 + years participated in the study (107 in intervention and 152 were controls). A questionnaire survey was conducted among Finnish food industry employees between 2003 and 2009 and the intervention “senior program” was provided between 2004 and 2009. The type of pension for the respondents who had retired by 2019 was obtained and dichotomized as statutory vs. early labor market exit. Disability pension was investigated as a separate outcome. Information on work-related factors was obtained from the survey. Cox regression analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) with their 95% confidence intervals. Results Fifty-one employees had early labor market exit. Of them, 70% (n = 36) were control participants. Employees in the senior program worked for longer years (mean years 7.4, 95% CI 6.4–8.1) compared to the control (6.6, 95% CI 6.3–7.5). Sixty percent lower risk of early labor market exit (HR 0.40, 95% CI 0.19–0.84) and disability pension was found among employees in the senior program compared to the control group. Good work ability had a 94% lower risk (0.06, 95% CI 0.01–0.29) of early labor market exit and 85% lower risk (0.15, 95% CI 0.03–0.73) of disability pension compared to poor work ability. Employees with musculoskeletal pain had 4 times higher risk of disability pension compared to those without musculoskeletal pain. Conclusions A workplace senior program intervention prolonged work life and had positive effect on reducing disability pension among older industrial workers.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can workplace intervention prolong work life of older workers? A quasi-experimental study

Neupane

Kyrönlahti

Oakman

et al. 2022

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

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“…Currently it is recognized that the primary objective of occupational health nurses’ work includes ensuring the health and work ability of employees through the promotion of healthy workplaces (Kuronen et al., 2020 ; Seppänen et al., 2020 ). Thus, the high prevalence of participants with inadequate WA that we have found highlights the urgent need for occupational health nurses (OHN) to facilitate and support collaboration between health services management and occupational health and safety services to design more effective workplace programmes aimed at maintaining and improving HCWs’ WA.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently it is recognized that the primary objective of occupational health nurses' work includes ensuring the health and work ability of employees through the promotion of healthy workplaces (Kuronen et al, 2020;Seppänen et al, 2020). Thus, the high prevalence of participants with inadequate WA that we have found highlights the urgent need for occupational health nurses (OHN)…”

Section: Implications For Practice and Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of manual patient handling on work ability: A cross‐sectional study in a Brazilian hospital

et al. 2022

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Aim To investigate the level of self‐reported work ability and its association with manual patient handling in healthcare workers. Design Cross‐sectional study adhering to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. Methods A total of 320 healthcare workers answered a self‐administered questionnaire regarding manual patient handling, work ability, occupational factors, occurrence of low back pain and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors from November 2016 to March 2017. The association between manual patient handling and low back pain was analysed with Poisson regression models. Results The prevalence ratio of inadequate work ability was 43.42%. Manual patient handling (PR 1.375, 95% CI 1.038–1.821), bachelor education (PR 2.150, 95% CI 1.272–3.632), less than bachelor education (PR 2.166, 95% CI 1.218–3.855), seniority (PR 1.049, 95% CI 1.024–1.086), poor sleep quality (PR 1.425, 95% CI 1.13–1.796) and presence of low back pain (PR 2.003, 95% CI 1.314–3.052) were all positively associated with an inadequate work ability.

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“…Our earlier study showed that activity by OHC personnel to identify excessive use of alcohol was associated with a reduction in disability pensions [ 17 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational health care personnel tackling alcohol overuse – an observational study of work processes and patient characteristics

Kuronen¹,

Winell

Hartšenko

et al. 2022

BMC Public Health

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Background Overuse of alcohol is a significant risk factor for early retirement. This observational study investigated patient characteristics and work processes in occupational health care (OHC) affecting practices in tackling alcohol overuse. Methods The data were from 3089 patient contacts gathered for quality improvement purposes in fifteen OHC units during the years 2013–2019 in Finland. A two-proportion z-test was performed to find associations between reason for contact, and 17 other factors, and the probability of alcohol use being checked and overuse tackled. Results OHC personnel checked alcohol use twice as often with male patients as with female patients. Employees at risk of needing sick leave were checked for alcohol use more often (55.4, 95% confidence interval 49.2–61.6%) than those on > 30-day sick leave or working with permanent work disability (p < 0.01). Alcohol use was checked in 64.1% (59.5–68.7%) of patients while making an individual health promotion plan compared to 36.9% of those without a plan (33.1–40.6%, p < 0.0001). Patients with depression were actively checked for alcohol use, especially in cases of major depression (72.7%, 64.0–81.0%). Work processes in which OHC should have been more active in checking and tackling alcohol use included assessing the need for rehabilitation (36.5%, 32.0–41.0%) and health check-ups (HCUs) for mental reasons (43.8%, 38.1–49.4%). HCUs where alcohol overuse was detected led to brief interventions to tackle the overuse in 58.1% (43.4–72.9%) of cases. Conclusions The study showed factors that increased OHC personnel’s practices in checking and tackling alcohol use and work processes where the activity should be improved. Discussions about alcohol use took place more often with working-aged men than women, the younger the more. OHC personnel checked actively alcohol use with patients in danger of sick leave, patients treated for depression, while making an individual health promotion plan, and in planned HCUs with a confirmed protocol. More improvement is needed to conduct brief interventions in disability prevention processes, and especially when overuse is detected.

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Quality improvement activity in occupational healthcare associated with reduced need for disability retirement: A Bayesian mixed effects modelling study in Finland

Cited by 3 publications

References 37 publications

Can workplace intervention prolong work life of older workers? A quasi-experimental study

Can workplace intervention prolong work life of older workers? A quasi-experimental study

The impact of manual patient handling on work ability: A cross‐sectional study in a Brazilian hospital

Occupational health care personnel tackling alcohol overuse – an observational study of work processes and patient characteristics

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