Publications by authors named "Croon E"

Background: Within a clinical context e-learning is comparable to traditional approaches of continuing medical education (CME). However, the occupational health context differs and until now the effect of postgraduate e-learning among occupational physicians (OPs) has not been evaluated.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of e-learning on knowledge on mental health issues as compared to lecture-based learning in a CME programme for OPs.

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Commentary on the paper by Lötters (see page 794)

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Background: Monitoring worker health and evaluating occupational healthcare interventions requires sensitive instruments that are reliable over time. The Need for Recovery scale (NFR), which quantifies workers' difficulties in recovering from work related exertions, may be a relevant instrument in this respect.

Objectives: To examine (1) the NFR's test-retest reliability and (2) the NFR's sensitivity to detect the effect of a fatigue inducing change, namely an increase in working hours.

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Objectives: To (i) examine the association between fatigue, psychosocial work characteristics (job control, support, participation in decision making, psychological job demands), and physical work requirements on the one hand and work ability of employees with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on the other, and (ii) determine the advice that health care professionals give to employees with RA on how to maintain their work ability.

Methods: Data were gathered from 78 employees with early RA (response = 99%) by telephone interviews and self-report questionnaires.

Results: Fatigue, lack of autonomy, low coworker/supervisor support, low participation in decision making, and high physical work requirements (i.

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Conventional and innovative office concepts can be described according to three dimensions: (1) the office location (e.g. telework office versus conventional office); (2) the office lay-out (e.

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Background: Monitoring psychological job strain may help occupational physicians to take preventive action at the appropriate time. For this purpose, the 10-item trucker strain monitor (TSM) assessing work-related fatigue and sleeping problems in truck drivers was developed.

Objectives: This study examined (1) test-retest reliability, (2) criterion validity of the TSM with respect to future sickness absence due to psychological health complaints and (3) usefulness of the TSM two-scales structure.

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Background: Work disability-a common outcome of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-is a societal (for example, financial costs) and individual problem (for example, loss of status, income, social support, and distraction from pain and distress). Until now, factors that predict work disability in RA have not been systematically reviewed.

Objective: To determine predictive factors of work disability in RA as reported in the literature.

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Based on a model that combines existing organizational stress theory and job transition theory, this 2-year longitudinal study examined antecedents and consequences of turnover among Dutch truck drivers. For this purpose, self-reported data on stressful work (job demands and control), psychological strain (need for recovery after work and fatigue), and turnover were obtained from 820 drivers in 1998 and 2000. In agreement with the model, the results showed that strain mediates the influence of stressful work on voluntary turnover.

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A quasi-experimental design was used to study the effect of on board computer-systems (OBC-systems) on the Dutch lorry drivers' psychosocial work environment (i.e., control and demands) and coinciding mental health (i.

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Background: Incomplete recovery from work-related fatigue after work (i.e., sustained activation) is assumed to mediate the relation between the exposure to stressful working conditions and the development of health problems.

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Aims: To present the available empirical evidence for the assumed position of the concept of work related fatigue as: (1) short term effect of the working day; and (2) an intermediate variable between work demands and the development of subjective health complaints and sickness absence.

Methods: Results from six single occupation studies, conducted between 1996 and 2002, are presented. Work demands (working hours, decision latitude, break control/autonomy, and mental, emotional, and physical demands) were assessed through validated scales.

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Objectives: Building on Karasek's model of job demands and control (JD-C model), this study examined the effects of job control, quantitative workload, and two occupation specific job demands (physical demands and supervisor demands) on fatigue and job dissatisfaction in Dutch lorry drivers.

Methods: From 1181 lorry drivers (adjusted response 63%) self reported information was gathered by questionnaire on the independent variables (job control, quantitative workload, physical demands, and supervisor demands) and the dependent variables (fatigue and job dissatisfaction). Stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the main effects of job demands and job control and the interaction effect between job control and job demands on fatigue and job dissatisfaction.

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Objectives: To develop and validate a short and user-friendly questionnaire measuring psychological job strain in truck drivers.

Methods: In cooperation with an occupational physician in the Dutch road transport industry we developed items on the basis of face validity and information of existing questionnaires on the subject. These items were pilot-tested, by means of interviews, in 15 truck drivers.

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