Objective: To perform a European survey of the evidence needs and training demands of insurance medicine professionals related to professional tasks and evidence-based practice.
Design: International survey.
Subjects: Professionals working in insurance medicine.
Background: Musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is the leading cause of years lived with disability. In consequence, to reduce MSP and its associated sickness absence is a major challenge. Previous interventions have been developed to reduce MSP and improve return to work of workers with MSP, but combined approaches and exhaustive evaluation are needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Paid maternity leave (ML) has been associated with better health outcomes in mothers and newborns. However, its protective role in mothers' employment after childbirth remains unclear.
Objective: To assess the association between paid ML and being employed 1-year after childbirth.
Background: Wide international variation in the prevalence of disabling low back pain (LBP) among working populations is not explained by known risk factors. It would be useful to know whether the drivers of this variation are specific to the spine or factors that predispose to musculoskeletal pain more generally.
Methods: Baseline information about musculoskeletal pain and risk factors was elicited from 11 710 participants aged 20-59 years, who were sampled from 45 occupational groups in 18 countries.
Setting: There remains a lack of effective and inexpensive diagnostic tools for active tuberculosis (TB) disease. Testing immune responses to proteins secreted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, such as MPT64, may be a diagnostic option.
Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a patch test using MPT64 for the diagnosis of active TB disease.
Objectives: Sickness absence (SA) among healthcare workers is associated with occupational and non-occupational risk factors and impacts employee health, healthcare delivery and patient health. At the same time, healthcare is one of the employment sectors with the highest rates of work-related ill health in the UK. Musculoskeletal (MSK) and mental health (MH) issues are leading causes of SA, but there is a lack of research on how certain MSK/MH conditions impact on SA duration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnferm Infecc Microbiol Clin (Engl Ed)
February 2019
Introduction: Rupture of cruciate ligaments of the knee is a common injury that is repaired by arthroscopic reconstruction, which can give rise to septic arthritis. The objective of this article is to describe the clinical and microbiological aspects of this entity.
Methods: Retrospective review of cases of septic arthritis following arthroscopic reconstruction of cruciate ligaments of the knee that occurred at a single institution from 2000-2015.
Study Design: A cross-sectional survey with a longitudinal follow-up.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that pain, which is localized to the low back, differs epidemiologically from that which occurs simultaneously or close in time to pain at other anatomical sites SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA.: Low back pain (LBP) often occurs in combination with other regional pain, with which it shares similar psychological and psychosocial risk factors.
Objectives: To assess the differences in the prevalence and incidence of low back pain (LBP) and associated disability among office workers in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Spain.
Methods: Data were collected at baseline (n=947, 93% response) in November 2007 and at follow-up after 12 months (n=853, 90% response). Six outcome measures were examined: baseline prevalence of (1) LBP in the past 12 months, (2) LBP in the past month and (3) disabling LBP in the past month; and at follow-up: (4) incidence of new LBP in the past month, (5) new disabling LBP and (6) persistent LBP.
Objective: The aim of this review was to investigate the effectiveness of workplace return-to-work (RTW) interventions delivered at very early stages (<15 days) of sickness absence (SA).
Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Health Management Information Consortium (HMIC), Cochrane library database, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsychInfo and Embase. Using pre-established criteria, independent pairs of researchers carried out the study selection, quality appraisal and data extraction.
Somatising tendency, defined as a predisposition to worry about common somatic symptoms, is importantly associated with various aspects of health and health-related behaviour, including musculoskeletal pain and associated disability. To explore its epidemiological characteristics, and how it can be specified most efficiently, we analysed data from an international longitudinal study. A baseline questionnaire, which included questions from the Brief Symptom Inventory about seven common symptoms, was completed by 12,072 participants aged 20-59 from 46 occupational groups in 18 countries (response rate 70%).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To estimate the prevalence and incidence of upper extremity musculoskeletal pain (UEMP) and related disability among office workers in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Spain.
Methods: Data from the multinational Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability (CUPID) study on 947 (93%) participants at baseline with 90% follow-up after 12 months were employed. Logistic regression was used to estimate the associations (ORs and corresponding 95% CIs) between country and six outcomes: baseline prevalence of (1) UEMP in past 12 months, (2) UEMP in past month and (3) disabling UEMP in past month; (4) incidence of new UEMP at follow-up; (5) incidence of new disabling UEMP at follow-up and (6) persistence of UEMP at follow-up, after adjustment for sociodemographic, job-related and health-related covariates.
To inform case definition for neck/shoulder pain in epidemiological research, we compared levels of disability, patterns of association, and prognosis for pain that was limited to the neck or shoulders (LNSP) and more generalised musculoskeletal pain that involved the neck or shoulder(s) (GPNS). Baseline data on musculoskeletal pain, disability, and potential correlates were collected by questionnaire from 12,195 workers in 47 occupational groups (mostly office workers, nurses, and manual workers) in 18 countries (response rate = 70%). Continuing pain after a mean interval of 14 months was ascertained through a follow-up questionnaire in 9150 workers from 45 occupational groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBest Pract Res Clin Rheumatol
June 2015
Although much attention has been given to the physical determinants of common musculoskeletal complaints such as back and arm pain, research points to a stronger influence of psychological factors. Multiple studies have implicated poor mental health and somatisation (a tendency to worry about the common somatic symptoms) in the incidence and chronicity of musculoskeletal pain and associated disability. Also important are adverse beliefs about the prognosis of such disorders, and about the role of physical activity in their development and persistence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Examine the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain (MSP) in the six Spanish-speaking countries of Central America using a single standardized instrument, the First Survey on Working Conditions and Health in Central America in workers from all manual and non-manual labor sectors, using social security coverage as an indicator of formal versus informal employment.
Methods: The workers (n = 12 024) were surveyed in their homes. The age-adjusted prevalence of MSP during the previous month was calculated for pain in the back (upper, or cervical; middle, or thoracic; and lower, or lumbar) and arm joints (shoulder, elbow, and wrist).
Background: Only few longitudinal studies have explored separately predictors of pain incidence and persistence.
Objective: To investigate whether biological, lifestyle, occupational and psychological risk factors for the development of new episodes of upper limb pain (ULP) differ from those for its persistence.
Methods: Spanish nurses and office workers (1105) were asked at baseline about biological, lifestyle, occupational and psychological risk factors and pain in the past month at six anatomical sites in the upper limb (left and right shoulder, elbow and wrist/hand).
Objective: To identify existing return-to-work (RTW) guidelines following a sickness absence (SA) due to musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) and evaluate their methodological quality.
Methods: We performed a systematic search for RTW guideliness written in English, Spanish and Catalan, that included total or partial information on MSD. The identified guidelines were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively by seven experts using the validated AGREE method.
Objectives: To estimate the association between psychosocial risk factors in the workplace and musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in nurses and aides.
Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Data Sources: An electronic search was performed using MEDLINE (Pubmed), Psychinfo, Web of Science, Tripdatabase, Cochrane Central Controlled Trials, NIOSHTIC and Joanna Briggs Institute of Systematic Reviews on Nursing and Midwifery, to identify observational studies assessing the role of psychosocial risk factors on MSD in hospital nurses and nursing aides.
Objective: To summarise the available scientific evidence on the health effects of exposure to working beyond the limit number of hours established by the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) on physicians.
Design: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed and EMBASE. Study selection, quality appraisal and data extraction were carried out by independent pairs of researchers using pre-established criteria.
Objective: This study aims to investigate whether associations of psychological risk factors with the incidence and persistence of disabling musculoskeletal pain differ from those for non-disabling musculoskeletal pain.
Methods: As part of the international Cultural and Psychosocial Influences in Disability (CUPID) study, 1105 Spanish nurses and office workers were asked at baseline about health beliefs concerning pain, mental health, and somatizing tendency. Musculoskeletal pain in the past months at ten anatomical sites (back, neck, and left and right shoulder, elbow, wrist/hand, and knee) was ascertained at baseline and one year later.