Self-reported headache among the employees of a Swiss university hospital: prevalence, disability, current treatment, and economic impact

Abstract

BackgroundThe objectives of this cross-sectional, observational study were to determine the prevalence of self-reported headache among the employees of the large Swiss university hospital, to measure the impact of headache using the MIDAS questionnaire, to assess current treatment and to estimate economic burden of headache considering indirect costs.MethodsA self-administered questionnaire was distributed internally to 2000 randomly selected employees of the University Hospital Zurich.Results1210 employees (60.5%) responded. Of the 1192 (98.5%) employees who provided sufficiently complete information, 723 (61%) reported at least one headache type in the last three months. The prevalence of migraine, and tension-type headache was 20% and 50%, respectively. Regarding the occupational groups, there was a trend that healthcare staff, administration employees, and medical technicians suffered more from headaches than physicians, correcting for age and sex. The economic consequences of lost productivity were calculated to amount to approximately 14 million Swiss Francs (9.5 million EUR), representing 3.2% of the overall annual expenditure of the hospital for personnel.ConclusionHeadache is highly prevalent among university hospital employees, with significant economic impact.

Prevalence and Impact on Job Performance of Primary Headache Among Medical and Paramedical Staff in the Emergency Department

“…This prevalence is much higher than the mean of global headache prevalence 46% as well as the general population prevalence in Saudi Arabia 63% [5,11]. And the other studies among varies Health Care Workers (HCWs) that conducted in Switzerland, Nigeria, Taiwan and North China offer 61%, 39.3%, 49.6% and 45.3%, respectively [12][13][14][15]. These stringent results refer to the burden of stress that affecting health care professionals and exactly the emergency department staff [16].…”

“…As for phonophobia, if it occurs not more than once, it may be considered as tension-type headache. Overall, these characteristics may suggest that the tension-type headache is the type of primary headache most affecting the medical and paramedical staff in emergency department, and it is propped by Sokolovic et al (2013) [12].…”

Prevalence and Impact on Job Performance of Primary Headache Among Medical and Paramedical Staff in the Emergency Departments of Taif Hospitals - Saudi Arabia.

“…[5,11] And the other studies among varies Health Care Workers (HCWs) that conducted inSwitzerland, Nigeria, Taiwan and North China offer61%, 39.3%, 49.6%and 45.3%, respectively. [12][13][14][15] These stringent results refer to the burden of stress that affecting health care professionals and exactly the emergency department staff. [16] The statistical significant difference is shown in (Table 2) between headache prevalence in the last 3 months and doing physical activities ≥ 30 min.…”

Prevalência de cefaleia e fatores associados em trabalhadores de uma empresa agropecuária do sul do Brasil

“…A dor de cabeça é um sintoma neurológico comum experimentado por quase toda a população 2 . A cefaleia pode ocasionar a redução da vitalidade e qualidade de vida, distúrbio do sono, tais como insônia e fadiga constante, além de comprometer a produtividade no trabalho, dependendo do tipo e intensidade da cefaleia [2][3][4] . A prevalência desta sintomatologia em estudos de base populacional pode chegar a 62,5% 5 , e estudos em saúde ocupacional demonstraram que, em trabalhadores de distintas profissões, a cefaleia chega a 61% 3 .…”

“…A cefaleia pode ocasionar a redução da vitalidade e qualidade de vida, distúrbio do sono, tais como insônia e fadiga constante, além de comprometer a produtividade no trabalho, dependendo do tipo e intensidade da cefaleia [2][3][4] . A prevalência desta sintomatologia em estudos de base populacional pode chegar a 62,5% 5 , e estudos em saúde ocupacional demonstraram que, em trabalhadores de distintas profissões, a cefaleia chega a 61% 3 . As cefaleias causam perdas substanciais de produtividade mediante o absenteísmo e eficácia prejudicada no trabalho, conhecida como presenteísmo, além de impor encargos socioeconômicos e incapacidade aos trabalhadores em geral 6 .…”