Work disability in adults with cystic fibrosis and its relationship to quality of life

Abstract

Determinants of workforce participation shows that hours worked and perceived disability are more dependent on mastery of disease, age, and time in hospital, than on clinical severity scores. Health professionals may assist productivity through career counselling or tailored programs.

Employment and work disability in adults with cystic fibrosis

“…This encouraging finding is consistent with the employment rates of CF patients found in studies conducted in other countries: 55% of 49 CF adult patients in California [16], 48% of 183 patients in North Carolina [7], 72% of 50 patients in Australia [6] and 56% of 130 patients in Canada [17]. In France in 2007, among people between the ages of 25 and 39, the labour force participation rate and the employment rate were respectively 89% and 82% for the general population, and 63% and 51% for people with an officially recognised disability [18].…”

“…Employability is associated with better quality of life scores [6] and lower depression scores [7]. The positive association between employment and some quality of life scores was maintained even after controlling for relevant medical parameters [8].…”

“…Four previous studies investigated the predictors of disability in CF patients [6,7,16,17]. All were cross-sectional studies, but their analytic strategies and results differed.…”

Cystic fibrosis

“…Beispielsweise konnte mittels mukoviszidosespezifischer Bewertung gezeigt werden, dass ein signifikanter Zusammenhang zwischen Lebensqualität (als subjektives Ergebnis) und Gesundheitszustand (als objektives Maß) besteht [5] und dass die Lebensqualität eine signifikante Korrelation mit den Fehltagen am Arbeitsplatz (als Ergebnis des "Funktionierens in der Gesellschaft") aufweist [8]. …”

Implications of the current UK welfare reforms for adults with cystic fibrosis

“…However, there are a number of potential barriers to adults with CF starting a career, including physical, educational and psychosocial factors. [2][3][4] As their health deteriorates, the ability of CF adults to remain in education and employment declines. In common with other people with chronic health conditions, adults with CF in the UK are eligible to claim for a variety of governmentfunded social security benefits.…”