Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects many body functions and activities, including work capacity and ability to work. An evaluation of work-related parameters is important to understand the barriers to maintaining the job. The aim of this study was to evaluate if a Comprehensive International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) core set for MS can be used to predict work capacity and employment status. Methods: The cohort included 151 participants with MS (99 female/52 male, mean age 49 years) referred for a work capacity evaluation. Results: 71 (47.0%) were employed and a major part (131, 86.7%) had a work capacity between 20 and 40% with no difference between those who were employed and those who were unemployed. The analysis revealed that age and the following categories explained 68.8% of the work capacity: b770 Gait pattern functions; b730 Muscle power functions; b134 Sleep functions; d845 Acquiring, keeping and terminating a job; and b620 Urination functions. The following categories in 79.5% predicted ability to work: b164 Higher-level cognitive functions; d510 Washing oneself; d630; Preparing meals; and d870 Economic self-sufficiency. Conclusions: Here, we show that different functions/activities predicted work capacity in comparison with employment status in MS. Therefore, ICF should be implemented when assessing work ability.

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UNASSIGNED: The Multidimensional Task Ability Profile (MTAP) is a measure of self reported physical work capacity developed for injured workers with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) to determine readiness to return to work.
UNASSIGNED: This study compared the concurrent validity of a new short form MTAP (MTAP-SF) comprised of 16 lifting and/or carrying items with the MTAP 55-item version. The hypothesis addressed is whether the validity of a version that imposes less respondent burden (MTAP-SF) would be comparable to the more burdensome instrument (MTAP-55).
UNASSIGNED: MTAP scores were compared with demonstrated lift capacity in 1,252 healthy adults. Parallel regression analyses were conducted to examine the explanatory power of both MTAP versions.
UNASSIGNED: Age, gender, body mass and MTAP-SF explained 55% of the variance (p < 0.001) in demonstrated lift capacity, equivalent to MTAP-55.
UNASSIGNED: Self reported performance in physical work capacity tasks accounts for significant variance in lifting performance. MTAP-SF diminishes respondent burden while maintaining validity and may be useful for managing MSDs by enhancing understanding of the evaluee\'s psychophysical component in return-to-work rehabilitation planning.

OBJECTIVE: to identify the factors that influenced the mental capacity to work of nursing technicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
METHODS: a cross-sectional study, carried out at two reference hospitals in assisting the population during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 237 professionals from Intensive Care Units participated and answered a questionnaire. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the correlation between mental capacity to work and variables related to risks of contamination, institutional support and health.
RESULTS: lack of COVID-19 tests, lack of knowledge of routine, absences in 2021 and mental illness contributed to worse mental capacity to work. Management embracement and physical capacity were considered protective factors.
CONCLUSIONS: reduced work capacity in relation to mental demands can affect professional performance and quality of care, with implications for patients and health institutions.

BACKGROUND: This study, conducted on a sample of Italian occupational physicians (OPs), aimed to gather data regarding professional activity and their needs in managing workers with multiple sclerosis.
METHODS: A convenience sample of OPs recruited by e-mail invitation to the list of Italian Society of Occupational Medicine members was considered. A total of 220 OPs participated between July and October 2022. An ad hoc questionnaire was developed based on previous survey experiences. It investigated, among others, the characteristics of OP respondents, the evaluation of fitness for work issues, and the OP training and updating needs on multiple sclerosis and work.
RESULTS: Ninety-one percent of OPs had to assess the fitness for work of workers with multiple sclerosis during their activity. Sixty-four percent experienced particular difficulties in issuing a fitness for work judgment. Regarding the level of knowledge on multiple sclerosis, 54% judged it sufficient. The \"Assessment of fitness for work for the specific task\" and the \"Role of the OPs in identifying reasonable accommodations\" were the most interesting training topics regarding MS management in work contexts chosen by the respondents.
CONCLUSIONS: The interest in the work inclusion and job retention of people with disability, particularly the aspects linked to the Identification and implementation of reasonable accommodations, will require integration with the occupational safety and health protection system and will undoubtedly impact the OP\'s activities.

Objective  This study aimed to describe the methodological process for developing a questionnaire to identify the prevalence and risk factors for chronic occupational low back pain in healthcare professionals working at hospitals. Method  An exploratory crossectional survey study was carried out in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, and its metropolitan region, in two stages. Initially, the authors prepared a questionnaire based on the Roland Morris disability questionnaire and sent it to a committee of low back pain specialists for validation using the Delphi technique. The second stage consisted of sending the final questionnaire to health professionals working in a hospital environment for at least 2 years and presenting chronic low back pain for at least 3 months. Results  Validation occurred in two rounds of questionnaire adjustments by a panel consisting of physical therapists and physician experts in the field (orthopedists with more than 3 years of experience). Both rounds had 13 participants. The questionnaire initially consisted of 27 items, and, after validation, it had 19 items. The study included 65 subjects, with an average age of 40.91 years old and an average time working at a hospital of 40 hours per week. The total sample had 76.9% of physicians, 10.8% of physical therapists, and 12.3% of nurses or nursing technicians. Most (52.3%) subjects reported staying in uncomfortable positions affecting the lower back for 5 to 10 hours per day. Conclusion  We developed and validated, using the Delphi technique, a questionnaire on the prevalence and risk factors associated with chronic occupational low back pain among healthcare professionals working at hospitals. This unprecedented tool can benefit the population studied since the questionnaires currently used to evaluate chronic low back pain are not specific for investigating the occupational cause of this condition.

Hansen\'s disease not only causes problems for patients in the workplace, but also increases the possibility of transmission to other workers. This case report discusses the fitness-to-work assessment for a Hansen\'s disease patient with a disability. A 19-year-old female, who worked as an online shop warehouse staff, presented at our hospital with a wound on her left hand accompanied by numbness. The patient\'s activity indicated mild limitations with a SALSA score of 25. A seven-step process for evaluating fitness to work was conducted. These steps involved assessing the patient\'s medical condition, disability, job demands, risks, and tolerance to determine the appropriate work status. This patient was declared fit to work with a note as online shop warehouse staff. She must take care of herself by maintaining good personal hygiene and consulting a doctor regularly, in addition to educating other workers about her condition and avoiding stigma. Routine examinations are also an important part of treating leprosy in the workplace.

UNASSIGNED: The high unemployment rate among people with disabilities (PWDs) can be attributed to barriers found in the work environment and demands of the job itself. Given the lack of comprehensive tools to identify these barriers, we developed the Employment Barriers Questionnaire (EBQ).
UNASSIGNED: The objective of this study was to develop and examine the EBQ\'s reliability and validity for detecting employment barriers and possible modifications to overcome them.
UNASSIGNED: Two stages were conducted: stage I was a cross-sectional design. Stage II included a cross-sectional and prospective design. Thirty-nine people with physical disabilities (mean age 47.21±10.78 years) were recruited, 51% of which were employed during data collection. During stage I, we developed a first version of the EBQ (EBQ.I) and evaluated its internal reliability. The EBQ.I was filled twice, one week apart to assess test-re-test reliability. Predictive validity was tested using a regression model to predict the employment status of stage II based on EBQ.I\'s results from stage I. In stage II, we generated a second version (EBQ.II) and tested its internal-reliability and known-groups validity, by comparing the EBQ.II\'s results between employed and unemployed subjects.
UNASSIGNED: The results showed that the EBQ.II has a high internal-reliability (α= 0.79-0.97) and a medium-large known-groups validity (-3.95≤Z≤-2.26, p < 0.05). Additionally, the EBQ.I has a high test re-test reliability (ICC = 0.85-0.94, p < 0.001) and predictive validity (β= 0.861, p = 0.033).
UNASSIGNED: This study has illustrated that the EBQ.II is a unique, reliable and valid tool for identifying employment barriers and modifications to address them, expected to improve vocational rehabilitation efforts.

OBJECTIVE: Disability benefit applicants with residual work capacity are often not able to work fulltime. In Dutch work disability benefit assessments, the inability to work fulltime is an important outcome, indicating the number of hours the applicant can sustain working activities per day. This study aims to gain insight into the association between inability to work fulltime and having paid employment 1 year after the assessment.
METHODS: The study is a longitudinal register-based cohort study of work disability applicants who were granted a partial disability benefit (n = 8300). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to study the association between inability to work fulltime and having paid employment 1 year after the assessment, separately for working and non-working applicants.
RESULTS: For disability benefit applicants, whether working (31.9%) or not working (68.1%) at the time of the disability assessment, there was generally no association between inability to work fulltime and having paid employment 1 year later. However, for working applicants diagnosed with a musculoskeletal disease or cancer, inability to work fulltime was positively and negatively associated with having paid employment, respectively. For non-working applicants with a respiratory disease or with multimorbidity, inability to work fulltime was negatively associated with paid employment.
CONCLUSIONS: Inability to work fulltime has limited association with paid employment 1 year after the disability benefit assessment, regardless of the working status at the time of assessment. However, within certain disease groups, inability to work fulltime can either increase or decrease the odds of having paid employment after the assessment.

The changes in the modern work environment are accompanied by specific stressors that can have a negative impact on employees\' mental health. In line with this, the proportion of sick-leave days due to mental disorders has recently risen to 17.7% compared to 10.9% in 2007, which in 2021 was associated with costs of 42.9 billion euros due to losses of gross value and productivity.Based on current health economic studies, this review provides an overview of the economic impact of incapacity to work and early retirement due to various mental disorders in Germany. In absolute figures, expenditure on incapacity to work is particularly high for common mental illnesses such as affective and anxiety disorders. Rarer mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders cause high costs in relation to their low prevalence, particularly due to sickness benefit payments.In addition to these economic implications, the consequences of incapacity to work, early retirement, and unemployment are examined at an individual level and explanatory approaches for the specific psychosocial stresses are presented. The latter highlights the need for scientifically substantiated treatment methods. Certified treatments have proven to be efficient in reducing the number of sick-leave days, particularly for common mental disorders. This applies even more to workplace-related interventions, which appear to be superior to conventional methods in this respect. Workplace-based therapies incorporate work-related models and focus on the planning of reintegration into the workplace. Further naturalistic studies are needed to test the transferability of the effectiveness of these treatments to other disorders.
UNASSIGNED: Mit den Veränderungen der modernen Arbeitswelt gehen Belastungen einher, die die psychische Gesundheit von Arbeitnehmenden negativ beeinflussen können. Im Einklang damit zeigt sich ein Anstieg des Anteils der Arbeitsunfähigkeits(AU)-Tage aufgrund von psychischen Störungen auf zuletzt 17,7 % im Vergleich zu 10,9 % im Jahr 2007, womit 2021 Kosten in Höhe von 42,9 Mrd. € aufgrund von Bruttowertschöpfungsverlusten und Produktionsausfällen verbunden waren.Dieser Artikel gibt anhand aktueller gesundheitsökonomischer Studien einen Überblick über die volkswirtschaftlichen Auswirkungen von Arbeits- und Erwerbsunfähigkeit aufgrund psychischer Störungen in Deutschland. So sind in absoluten Zahlen die Ausgaben für Arbeitsunfähigkeit insbesondere bei häufigen psychischen Erkrankungen, wie affektiven und Angststörungen, hoch. Seltenere psychische Störungen, wie die posttraumatische Belastungsstörung (PTBS) und Essstörungen, verursachen im Verhältnis zu ihrer geringen Prävalenz insbesondere hohe Kosten aufgrund von Krankengeldzahlungen.Neben diesen wirtschaftlichen Implikationen werden die Konsequenzen von Arbeits- und Erwerbsunfähigkeit sowie Arbeitslosigkeit auf individueller Ebene beleuchtet und Erklärungsansätze vorgestellt. Letztere verdeutlichen die Notwendigkeit wirksamer Behandlungsmethoden. Dabei haben sich anerkannte Therapieverfahren als effizient in der Reduktion von AU-Tagen erwiesen. Dies gilt umso mehr für arbeitsplatzbezogene Interventionen, die dahin gehend konventionellen Verfahren überlegen zu sein scheinen. Arbeitsplatzbezogene Therapieverfahren legen einen Fokus auf die Planung der Wiedereingliederung. Weitere naturalistische Studien sind nötig, um die Übertragbarkeit der Wirksamkeit der Behandlungsmodelle auf andere Störungsbilder überprüfen zu können.