Working while unwell: Workplace impairment in people with severe asthma.

2018

Hiles, Sarah A

Harvey, Erin S

McDonald, Vanessa M

Peters, Matthew

Bardin, Philip

Reynolds, Paul N

Upham, John W

Baraket, Melissa

Bhikoo, Zaheerodin

Bowden, Jeffrey

Brockway, Ben

Chung, Li Ping

Cochrane, Belinda

Foxley, Gloria

Garrett, Jeffrey

Hew, Mark

Jayaram, Lata

Jenkins, Christine

Katelaris, Constance

Katsoulotos, Gregory

Koh, Mariko S

Kritikos, Vicky

Lambert, Marina

Langton, David

Rivero, Alexis Lara

Marks, Guy B

Middleton, Peter G

Nanguzgambo, Aldoph

Radhakrishna, Naghmeh

Reddel, Helen

Rimmer, Janet

Southcott, Anne Marie

Sutherland, Michael F

Thien, Francis

Wark, Peter Ab

Yang, Ian A

Yap, Elaine

Gibson, Peter G

Severe asthma

absenteeism

presenteeism

registry

work disability

workplace productivity

Journal Article

0000-0002-2723-2798

10.1111/cea.13153

Severe asthma affects quality of life; however, its impact on workplace productivity is poorly understood. To compare workplace productivity - absenteeism and presenteeism - and impairment in daily activities in severe and non-severe asthma over time and identify characteristics associated with presenteeism in severe asthma. The Severe Asthma Web-based Database (SAWD) is an ongoing observational registry from Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. At April 2017, 434 patients with severe asthma and 102 with non-severe asthma were enrolled (18 to 88 years; 59% female). Participants provided comprehensive clinical and questionnaire data at baseline and were followed-up every 6 months for 24 months. Absenteeism (percentage of time not at work), presenteeism (self-reported impairment at work) and impairment in daily activities outside work due to health problems in the last week were calculated. At baseline, 61.4% of participants with severe asthma and 66.2% with non-severe asthma under 65 years were employed. At younger ages (30-50 years), fewer severe asthma participants were employed (69% vs 100%). Presenteeism and impairment in daily activity were more frequently reported in severe asthma and in participants with poorer asthma control, poorer lung function and more past-year exacerbations (p<0.01). Over time, deteriorating asthma control was associated with increasing presenteeism. Although absenteeism was not different between severe and non-severe asthma, worse asthma control was associated with absenteeism (p<0.001). In participants with severe asthma, presenteeism was reported more frequently in those with poorer asthma control, poorer asthma-related quality of life and symptoms of depression or anxiety (p<0.01). Severe asthma was associated with impairment at work and outside the workplace. Improving asthma control and mental health may be important targets for optimising workplace productivity in severe asthma. Presenteeism and absenteeism may represent key metrics for assessing intervention efficacy in people with severe asthma of working age. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

link

Clinical and experimental allergy 2018; 48(6): 650-662

Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology