Charlotte Wåhlin

Costs of production loss and primary health care interventions for return-to-work of sick-listed workers in Sweden

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate, from the perspective of society, the costs of sick leave and rehabilitation of recently sick-listed workers with musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) or mental disorders (MD). Methods: In a prospective cohort study, 812 sick-listed workers with MSD (518) or MD (294) were included. Data on consumption of health care and production loss were collected over six months from an administrative casebook system of the health care provider. Production loss was estimated based on the number of sick-leave days. Societal costs were based on the human capital approach. Results: The mean costs of production loss per person were EUR 5978 (MSD) and EUR 6381 (MD). Health care interventions accounted for 9.3% (MSD) and 8.2% (MD) of the costs of production loss. Corresponding figures for rehabilitation activities were 3.7% (MSD) and 3.1% (MD). Health care interventions were received by about 95% in both diagnostic groups. For nearly half of the cohort, no rehabilitation intervention at all was provided. Conclusions: Costs associated with sick leave were dominated by production loss. Resources invested in rehabilitation were small. By increasing investment in early rehabilitation, costs to society and the individual might be reduced. Implications for Rehabilitation Resources invested in rehabilitation for sick-listed with musculoskeletal and mental disorders in Sweden are very small in comparison with the costs of production loss. For policy makers, there may be much to gain through investments into improved rehabilitation processes for return to work. Health care professionals need to develop rehabilitative activities aiming for return to work, rather than symptoms treatment only.

Changes in division of labour and tasks within public dentistry: relationship to employees work demands, health and work ability.

Abstract Objective: By 2023, fewer dentists are expected in Sweden, at the same time as the demand for dental care is expected to increase. Older people, in particular, are expected to require more dental health than previous generations. To meet this demand, the public sector dentistry in Sweden is moving towards changes in division of labour among dental professionals, including dentists, dental hygienists and dental nurses. However, the impact of this reallocation on the physical and psychosocial wellbeing of employees is unknown. The aim of this study was to compare workplaces with an equal or larger proportion of dental hygienists than dentists (HDH) with workplaces with a larger proportion of dentists than dental hygienists (HD) on the physical and psychosocial work load, musculoskeletal and psychosomatic disorders and sickness presence. Material: A total of 298 persons employed in the Public Dental Service in a Swedish County Council participated in this study. Conclusion: The medium large clinics HDH reported 85% of employee’s with considerably more high psychosocial demands compared to employees in medium HD (53%) and large HD (57%). Employees in medium large clinics HDH also reported sleep problems due to work (25%) compared with employees in medium large clinics HD (6%), large clinics HD (11%) and small clinics HDH (3%). Clinic size does not seem to influence the outcome of the HD and HD clinics to any great extent. Of all employees, about 94–100% reported high precision demands and 78–91% poor work postures.

Occupational balance in health professionals in Sweden

Abstract Background: Health care employees are often women, a group that has high degrees of sick leave and perhaps problems attaining occupational balance. However, people think differently about their everyday activities and it is therefore important to take their perceptions into account but occupational balance has not yet been measured in health professionals. The aim was to describe occupational balance in three different samples of health professionals in Sweden. A further aim was to investigate whether occupational therapists (OTs) rate their occupational balance differently from other health professionals. Material and method: Four hundred and eighty-two health professionals, employees in public dentistry, mental health care and OTs, aged 21–70 years participated. The participants’ occupational balance was measured using the occupational balance questionnaire (OBQ). Results: The ratings of occupational balance were similar to earlier studies and did not differ significantly between the samples. The OTs’ occupational balance was also similar to that of the other health professionals. Conclusion: The similarities in occupational balance indicate the same difficulties in attaining it. Significance: The result highlights the possibility that working people face similar difficulties in achieving occupational balance. Further research is warranted about how to attain it.

Work-related stress assessed by a text message single-item stress question

Abstract Background Given the prevalence of work stress-related ill-health in the Western world, it is important to find cost-effective, easy-to-use and valid measures which can be used both in research and in practice. Aims To examine the validity and reliability of the single-item stress question (SISQ), distributed weekly by short message service (SMS) and used for measurement of work-related stress. Methods The convergent validity was assessed through associations between the SISQ and subscales of the Job Demand–Control–Support model, the Effort–Reward Imbalance model and scales measuring depression, exhaustion and sleep. The predictive validity was assessed using SISQ data collected through SMS. The reliability was analysed by the test–retest procedure. Results Correlations between the SISQ and all the subscales except for job strain and esteem reward were significant, ranging from −0.186 to 0.627. The SISQ could also predict sick leave, depression and exhaustion at 12-month follow-up. The analysis on reliability revealed a satisfactory stability with a weighted kappa between 0.804 and 0.868. Conclusions The SISQ, administered through SMS, can be used for the screening of stress levels in a working population.

Clinical reasoning in occupational health services for individuals with musculoskeletal and mental disorders

Aims: To investigate whether there are associations between the professional assessment of a patients main clinical problem and the patients self-reported health among patients with musculoskeletal disorders and/or mental disorders. To investigate differences in self-reported health and work-related measures in patients who were recommended clinical versus work-related interventions. Method: A cross-sectional study, including a convenience sample of 210 patients, visiting occupational health service. Patients answered a questionnaire on demographic variables, dimensions of health, functioning, work ability and working conditions. Patients’ main clinical problem and type of intervention was classified by physiotherapists. Activity limitations were identified using the Patient-Specific Functional Scale. Findings: The main clinical problems were: medical/organic problems (39%), psychosocial problems (46%) and physical work-related problems (15%). The psychosocial group reported more problems in mental functioning and the medical/organic group had worse physical functioning. There were significant differences for the main clinical problem, educational level, work ability, social interaction skills and mobility in patients who were recommended clinical versus work-related interventions. Conclusions: There are associations between the professional biopsychosocial classification and the patients self-reported health and functioning. Clinical reasoning may be improved by including systematic biopsychosocial assessment of specific health and working conditions, and activity limitations according to Patient-Specific Functional Scale.

Global communication practices of physiotherapists on Twitter

Abstract Background: Social media have offered professional communities the opportunity to be digitally connected. The hashtag #GlobalPT was conceived and promoted from 2015 and has acted as a slogan for the globally connected physiotherapy community. This study explores the global reach and dominant communication themes that emerged during a set time frame that represented the single largest period of #GlobalPT activity. Method: Using purposive sampling, 988 publically available tweets including the hashtag #GlobalPT were studied. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted to quantify tweet data and qualitative, inductive phenomenological thematic content analysis to describe latent themes within the tweets. Results: #GlobalPT activity was noted across 24 countries (UK top represented) and four languages (929/988, 94.03% in English). Europe was the most active area (738/988, 74.70%), followed by Oceania (120/988, 12.15%). Thematic content analysis identified eight themes within the communication practices of the physiotherapy community on Twitter. The three major themes were: sharing information (108/377, 28.65%), promotional activity (93/377, 24.67%) and positive feedback (69/377, 18.30%). Conclusion: The professional communication practices of physiotherapists on Twitter show a global spread of communication. The themes provide preliminary evidence for social media’s unique potential to assist the World Confederation for Physical Therapy strategic vision.

Workplace health in dental care – a salutogenic approach

Abstract Objective The purpose was to explore self‐reported psychosocial health and work environments among different dental occupations and workplaces from a salutogenic perspective. A further purpose was to analyse possible associations between three salutogenic measurements: The Sense of Coherence questionnaire (SOC), the Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS) and the Work Experience Measurement Scale (WEMS). Methods Employees in the Public Dental Service in a Swedish county council (n = 486) were invited to respond to a self‐reported web survey including demographics, work‐related factors, the SOC, the SHIS and the WEMS. Results This study showed positive associations between employee characteristics and self‐reported overall psychosocial health as well as experienced work environment. Autonomy was reported more among men than women (P < 0.000) and to a higher degree by dentists and dental hygienists than dental nurses (P < 0.000). Meaningfulness, happiness, job satisfaction, autonomy and positive to reorganization were reported by personnels aged less than 40 years (P ≤ 0.047). Clinical coordinators reported significant better health (SOC, SHIS) and experienced more autonomy, better management and more positive to reorganization than other dental professions. Dental hygienists and nurses experienced less time pressure than dentists (P ≤ 0.007). Better health and positive work experiences were also seen in smaller clinics (P ≤ 0.29). Conclusion Dental professionals reported a high degree of overall psychosocial health as well as a positive work experience. Some variations could be seen between employee characteristics such as gender, years in dental care, professionals, managing position and workplace size. Identify resources and processes at each workplace are important and should be included in the employees/employers dialogue.

Using social media to connect, facilitate communication, and practice knowledge translation

Thank you for inviting me to write an editorial for the European Journal of Physiotherapy. I am pleased to be given the opportunity to share some of my thoughts on social media. I have a special interest in science communication, blogging and connecting with physiotherapists and others globally using Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. I believe that social media is a powerful tool for sharing, to further promote and develop health care, as well as advancing different fields of physiotherapy. I work as an ergonomist/physiotherapist in the area of occupational health and ergonomics in Sweden. For me, the starting point for using social media professionally was when I received funding to run a communication project. As a researcher, it afforded me the opportunity to develop new strategies for digital communication. The interest of social media as a platform to connect and share knowledge has increased among different health care professionals, such as physiotherapists [1,2]. Recent debate has also emphasised the researchers’ responsibility to communicate, disseminate and implement scientific results into society [3]. However, lack of time, knowledge and rewards are obstacles for science communication among many researchers even though they find it important [4,5]. Dissemination of research is relevant to the field of physiotherapy, as research findings are encouraged to find their way into practical everyday use. Knights et al [2] suggest that physiotherapists can use social media to enhance care delivery and treatment outcome. Many patients are ready for social media platforms. Previous research summarises that use of digital and social media can facilitate knowledge translation, efficient communication and interactions. It may also contribute to build professional networks increasing connections among health professionals [1,6,7]. Recently, a group of researchers and physiotherapists presented interesting views on the benefits and threats of using social media for presenting and implementing evidence [8] . One key message from the group was the need to carefully evaluate the information being shared.

A systematic review on workplace interventions to manage chronic musculoskeletal conditions

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE A review to investigate whether there are effective workplace interventions that manage chronic musculoskeletal disorders. METHODS The literature search included published articles between 2008 and 2017. The databases used in this search were MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, AMED, PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete, Cochrane, and PEDro. A limited search on websites for relevant grey literature was also conducted. RESULTS The review included 12 studies that investigated effectiveness of a specific strength exercise programme or interventions provided by health professionals at the workplace when compared with controls or interventions not at the workplace. Seven studies were classified as high quality (>85% of criteria met) and five studies were classified as acceptable. Studies were heterogeneous preventing a meta-analysis. No intervention was clearly superior to another. DISCUSSION There was some consistency in the results of the selected studies, suggesting that workplace interventions such as high-intensity strength exercises and/or integrated health care can decrease pain and symptoms for employees who experience long-term musculoskeletal disorders. However, the current research is limited.

Participatory work place intervention for stress prevention in primary health care. A randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to explore whether a participatory, organizational intervention can reduce work-related risk factors, and thereby prevent stress-related ill health. We build on the job demand-control and effort-reward imbalance models of stress. It is a two-armed randomized trial, with one primary health care unit receiving the intervention and a two-unit control group. Validated questionnaires for the assessment of psychosocial work environment and health were administered, at the baseline and at 6 and 12-month follow up. The primary outcome was job strain. Secondary outcomes were effort–reward imbalance, exhaustion, sleep, and recovery. Group-level objective data on workload and data about relevant processes during the study were continuously collected. The changes in the intervention group with regard to job strain, effort-reward imbalance, exhaustion, sleep and recovery were not statistically different from changes in the control group. For the non-exhausted employees though, reward was significantly higher at follow up compared to baseline, but only in the intervention group. An important piece of information is that the objective workload was statistically significantly higher in the intervention group throughout the study. Not all the components of the intervention were implemented as intended. Context and process information, such as objective data and implementation fidelity are necessary for a valid interpretation of the results.