Disability and functioning assessment of women with RSI/WRMSDs: the use of the ICF checklist.

Background: Comprehensive approaches using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Checklist have been adopted to give more visibility to demands related to specific health situations.

Objective: To analyze the incapacity and functioning associated with activity/participation and environmental factors of female workers with repetitive strain injury/work-related musculoskeletal disorders (RSI/WRMSDs) using workers' narratives, ICF codes and the RSI/WRMSDs Checklist developed as a part of the present research project.

Methods: A qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 15 female workers diagnosed with RSI/WRMSDs was completed.

Managing work participation for people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

Improving work participation for individuals with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), has gained increasing interest over the last 10 years. New approaches are based upon increasing adoption of a biopsychosocial approach to improving work participation, incorporating evidence that health professionals within multidisciplinary teams have a key and critical role. In particular, interaction between health professionals and employers, and rehabilitation services that are linked to the workplace are key elements for improving work participation for people with RMDs.

Barriers to and facilitators for implementing an office ergonomics programme in a South African research organisation.

The focus of this study was on the possibility of implementing an office ergonomics programme as part of a broader workplace health initiative at a South African research organisation. We explored the perspectives of actors in the workplace regarding organisational barriers and facilitators to implementing ergonomic interventions. This qualitative study presents the perspectives of three workplace actor groups: operational managers (n = 4); health and safety representatives (n = 9); and office employees (n = 4) who were involved in a previous ergonomic assessments that proposed several corrective and preventive actions.

Applying theories to better understand socio-political challenges in implementing evidence-based work disability prevention strategies.

Purpose: This article explores and applies theories for analyzing socio-political aspects of implementation of work disability prevention (WDP) strategies.

Method: For the analysis, theories from political science are explained and discussed in relation to case examples from three jurisdictions (Sweden, Brazil and Québec).

Results: Implementation of WDP strategies may be studied through a conceptual framework that targets: (1) the institutional system in which policy-makers and other stakeholders reside; (2) the ambiguity and conflicts regarding what to do and how to do it; (3) the bounded rationality, path dependency and social systems of different stakeholders; and (4) coalitions formed by different stakeholders and power relations between them.

The practical application of theory and research for preventing work disability: a new paradigm for occupational rehabilitation services in China?

Introduction: Theoretical frameworks for preventing work disability have evolved over the last decade and various experimental models have been tested in occupational rehabilitation settings. The successful application and uptake of the most recent research evidence in rehabilitation practices depend on a complex interplay of the decisions of multi-stakeholders, including their perceptions of the evidence, a proper regulatory framework for injury prevention, compensation and disability management; as well as the cultural and socioeconomic factors unique to each country (social context). This paper summarizes the scope of the work disability prevention field and describes the contextual barriers and support mechanisms for implementing evidence-based practices for disability prevention in China's national rehabilitation system.

Back pain and work.

Low back pain is a leading cause of work disability and constitutes a significant socioeconomic burden worldwide. In an attempt to stem the serious consequences of long-term disability, a new approach for back pain in primary care is being disseminated. It mainly focusses on identifying the relationship between pain/disability and work, recognising important workplace and psychosocial issues, providing patients reassuring messages about activity, facilitating the return to work process and engaging other resources as needed.

Interdisciplinary team discussion on work environment issues related to low back disability: a multiple case study.

From both a social and cost-benefit perspective, disability prevention and associated management strategies for assisting employees with back pain are only successful if they address critical return-to-work (RTW) determining factors present in the workplace, including ergonomic factors. Despite our current knowledge of the importance of an integrated team approach targeting these factors, questions remain regarding the conceptual framework adopted by contemporary rehabilitation teams as it relates to work-oriented interventions to accommodate employees back to work. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the work environment issues discussed by an interdisciplinary team engaged in the work rehabilitation process of low back disability cases.