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PubMedDate not supplied

Estimating the cost of alcohol-related absenteeism in the Australian workforce: The importance of consumption patterns.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the extent and cost of alcohol-related absenteeism in the Australian workforce. DESIGN: A secondary analysis of select data obtained from 13 582 Australian workers (aged > or = 14 years) collected as part of the 2001 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported measures of alcohol-related absenteeism, illness or injury absenteeism and alcohol consumption categorised according to National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines for short- and long-term risk. RESULTS: The use of self-reported measures of alcohol-related absenteeism resulted in an estimate of 2,682,865 work days lost due to alcohol use in 2001, at a cost of 437 million dollars. The use of self-reported measures of illness or injury absenteeism to determine the extent of absenteeism attributable to alcohol use resulted in an estimate of 7,402,341 work days lost, at a cost of 1 .2 billion dollars. These estimates are about 12 to 34 times greater than previous estimates based on national data. Low-risk drinkers and infrequent or occasional risky and high-risk drinkers accounted for 49%-66% of alcohol-related absenteeism. CONCLUSIONS: The extent and cost of alcohol-related absenteeism is far greater than previously reported, and more than half the burden of alcohol-related absenteeism is incurred by low-risk drinkers and those who infrequently drink heavily.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1998

[The effect of systemic changes on sick-day absenteeism in the workplace. II. Causes of work disability among persons under termination of employment].

During the period of transformations and restructuring of workplaces in Poland, the reduction of employment becomes quite common, what seems to make a considerable impact on sick absenteeism. The analysis presented aimed at defining how far the risk of sick absenteeism increases among workers under termination of employment because of different reasons, and indicating morbidity causes in case of which sick absenteeism is most extensive. The study was carried out in one of the largest plants of the motor car industry (before the process of restructuring), and it covered a cohort of 5,373 men and 3,215 women employed during the years 1989-94. The workers who terminated their employment during those years made 77% of the whole cohort under study. The case index, calculated as the ratio of the number of cases to the number of man-days under observation, was taken as an analysis parameter. Poisson regression model involving a number of variables (age, departments, current workers, workers discharged according to particular reasons, and the period preceding the termination of employment) was used in the statistical analysis. The study indicated an increased risk of sick absenteeism in the group of workers approaching the termination of employment in comparison with that among current workers. The highest risk of work disability, both among men and women, was observed in persons leaving their jobs because of long-lasting illness or disability pension. The highest risk indices were noted in men whose sick absenteeism was caused by neoplasms (RR = 14.42); endocrine secretion disorders (RR = 4.83); cardiovascular disorders (RR = 3.60); mental disorders (RR = 3.04); and diseases of the musculoskeletal system (RR = 2.95); and in women with neoplasms (R = 6.42); diseases of the musculoskeletal system (RR = 4.01); and cardiovascular diseases (RR = 3.99). Risk of sick absenteeism was over 50% higher among retiring workers than among current workers (RR = 1.50 for men; and RR = 1.53 for women). Among workers discharged because of economic reasons, statistically significant risk of sick absenteeism was also observed (RR = 1.51 for men; and RR = 1.37 for women). In the group of workers leaving their jobs, following the agreement of the parties, an increased risk of sick absenteeism was noted in men (RR = 1.45). The economy transformation processes make a considerable impact on the occurrence of sick absenteeism in workplaces. Workers leaving their jobs because of health problems or of their own accord, as well as those discharged because of economic reasons belong to the highest risk groups.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1999

[Health-related absenteeism among workers employed in various work environments].

The state of health in working people is determined by a number of factors among which working conditions and the kind of job performed play undoubtedly a crucial role. The observation and analysis of trends in sick absenteeism may provide indirect information on health problems of the occupationally active population. The aim of the analysis presented was to define the magnitude and the causes of temporary work disability among workers employed in individual branches of the national economy, and finally to identify high risk groups of workers because of their employment in specific working conditions. The statistical material used as the basis for the calculation of absenteeism indicators embraced the data on the number of work disability days, derived from a 15 representative sample of punched cards, concerning certificates of temporary work disability. In order to accomplish the objectives of the analysis, the trends in sick absenteeism observed before 1989, the period preceding the structural changes and the transformation of Polish economy were taken into consideration. The analysis indicates that the level of sick absenteeism in the branches of the national economy (forestry, building construction, transport, industry) and the proportion of chronic diseases in its structure prove the effect of working conditions on the workers' health. Considering individual branches of industry, the highest levels of sick absenteeism are observed in the following branches: mining for men (5.61), non-ferrous metals for women (10.04) and men (4.95), ferrous metallurgy for women (9.99) and men (4.93), and petroleum products for women (11.76). The analysis of sick absenteeism in the branches selected in view of hazardous working conditions shows that: (1) in many branches chemical hazards in the work environment are responsible for an increased sick absenteeism due to diseases of the circulatory system, particularly among men, mental disorders and neoplasms, both among men and women, and complications of pregnancy among women; (2) physical work overload increases sick absenteeism mainly due to diseases of the musculoskeletal and peripheral nervous systems, as well as due to cardiac disease and arterial hypertension; and (3) hot microclimate contributes to sick absenteeism because of diseases of the circulatory system, including cardiac disease and arterial hypertension, particularly among men, as well as acute and chronic respiratory diseases.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1991

[Study of the changes in the morbidity and disease incidence patterns based on the absenteeism data analyzed during the 20-year period].

The aim of the study was to determine which of the absenteeism parameters was responsible for the changes in absenteeism rate in the period between 1967 and 1987 and to detect the major reasons of sick absenteeism over the period. The study was carried on in an electronic plant. Changes in the sick absenteeism rate in this plant reflect general variations in morbidity and disease incidence during these years. The changes result mainly from an extremely fast growth of absenteeism rate caused by circulatory and musculoskeletal system diseases and from a constant level of absenteeism rate observed as a result of digestive system diseases. Overall, the analysis showed that the duration of individual cases of absenteeism grew with time, the process which resulted in higher absenteeism among workers suffering from circulatory and musculoskeletal system diseases, chronic gastric and duodenal ulcer diseases, hepatopathies, gallbladder diseases, +pancreatic diseases and from pregnancy, delivery and puerperium complications. This growing duration of absenteeism cases may be related to the intensity of the observed pathologies, to complications and to effectiveness of medical treatment.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed2006

The effect of telephone appointment-reminder calls on outpatient absenteeism in a pulmonary function laboratory.

BACKGROUND: Absenteeism from outpatient appointments is common. Telephone appointment-reminder calls reduce outpatient-appointment absenteeism in many clinic settings. OBJECTIVE: To determine if telephone appointment-reminder calls reduce outpatient absenteeism at a hospital-based pulmonary function laboratory. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of our pulmonary function laboratory's outpatient appointment records from April to November 2004. Data were collected from consecutive outpatient appointments, including patient age, sex, whether a telephone appointment-reminder call was successfully made, and whether the patient showed up for the scheduled test. We performed 3 analyses. Differences in absenteeism between the groups was the primary outcome measure. First, appointments were separated into 2 groups: (1) appointments for which a reminder call was attempted ("called" group) and (2) appointments for which a reminder call was not attempted ("not-called" group). The appointments were then separated into 2 further groups: (1) the reminder call was successfully achieved ("contacted" group) and (2) the patient either was not called or was called but could not be reached ("not-contacted" group). Finally, the contacted group was separated into 2 further groups: (1) reminder calls that resulted in direct conversation with an appropriate person at the patient's listed telephone number, and (2) reminder message left on an answering machine. RESULTS: Data were collected from 515 consecutive outpatient appointments; 45 (8.7%) of these patients did not show up for testing. The absentee rate was 4.7% (n = 10) in the called group and 11.6% (n = 35) in the not-called group (p = 0.0066). In the called group, 6.5% (n = 14) could not be reached. The absentee rate was 4% (n = 8) in the contacted group and 11.7% (n = 37) in the not-contacted group (p = 0.0021). We found no difference in absenteeism between patients who received reminders via direct conversation (4.2%) and those who had a reminder message left on an answering machine (3.7%) (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A policy of reminding outpatients of their appointments via telephone reduces absenteeism at a hospital-based pulmonary function laboratory. We found no difference in absenteeism between communicating the reminder via direct conversation versus via leaving a message on an answering machine.

Appointments and Schedules↗

PubMed2001

Change in pattern of absenteeism as a result of workplace intervention for personnel support.

The aim was to investigate whether a preventive intervention carried out in a predominantly female workplace, that of hospital cleaners (consisting of a group of 97 women), had any effect on patterns of absenteeism. As a background, a model for analysing complex patterns of absenteeism, including sickness absences, was also developed. A further aim was to study the interactions between different forms of absenteeism. Comparison was made with a reference group consisting of employees in the same job category who only received the customary personnel support. For individuals in the intervention group who were < 42 years of age, total absence due to sickness decreased. In a multiple regression analysis, the contribution from the intervention to the decrease was significant at the 5% level. This change was particularly obvious in those who had a previous history of high absence due to sickness. No clear relationship was shown between short-term absenteeism and the interventions applied. For those who were > 42 years, short-term absence decreased for those who had been in the same jobs for a long time. The combination of increased age and experience showed a tendency to enhance this decline in short-term absenteeism due to sickness. For those > 42 years, and who at the same time have a previous history of high absenteeism, long-term absenteeism due to sickness seemed to be increasing. Increased experience tended to reduce this increase in long-term sickness absence. This combination of different effects possibly indicated the presence of a process of selection which determined who remained in the job as opposed to those who did not. An important conclusion is that different forms of absenteeism need to be looked at in parallel, and at the same time multivariate statistical analysis needs to be carried out to determine the different interactions between the factors.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed2005

Alcohol, stress-related factors, and short-term absenteeism among urban transit operators.

Transit operators, relative to workers in many other occupations, experience high levels of work-related stress, as documented through neuroendocrine elevations on the job vis-a-vis resting states (J Occup Health Psychol. 1998;3:122-129). Previous research suggests that self-reported job stress is associated with higher levels of alcohol consumption among transit operators (Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2000;24:1011-1019) and with absenteeism (Working Environment for Local Public Transport Personnel, Stockholm: Swedish Work Environmental Fund, 1982; Work Stress. 1990;4:83-89). The purpose of this study was to examine the interrelationships between alcohol use, stress-related factors (stressful life events, job stressors, and burnout), and short-term absenteeism among a multiethnic cohort of urban transit operators. Self-reported measures of alcohol, stress-related factors, and short-term absenteeism were obtained from a sample (n=1,446) of San Francisco municipal transit operators who participated in the 1993-1995 Municipal Railway Health and Safety Study. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that absenteeism among drinkers was associated with risk for alcohol dependence [odds ratio (OR)=2.46, heavy drinking (OR=1.87), alcohol-related harm (OR=2.17), increased drinking since becoming a transit operator (OR=1.74), and having any problem drinking indicator (OR=1.72). The association between absenteeism and stress-related factors varied by gender and drinking status. Final multivariate models among drinkers indicated that among males, problem drinking (OR=1.82), stressful life events (OR=1.62), and job burnout (OR=1.22) were independently associated with elevated odds of absenteeism. Among female drinkers, only stressful life events (OR=5.17) was significantly associated with elevated odds of absenteeism. Findings suggest that workplace interventions that address both individual and environmental stressors are most likely to have a positive impact on health-related outcomes, including problem drinking, thereby reducing absenteeism.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed2004

Correlation between pre-employment screening X-ray finding of spondylolysis and sickness absenteeism due to low back pain among policemen of the Israeli police force.

STUDY DESIGN: A historical prospective case/control study of the significance and correlation between pre-employment findings of L5-S1 spondylolysis and sickness absenteeism due to low back pain among police officers. OBJECTIVES: Examining the importance of pre-employment lumbar spine radiographs as a prediction of work absenteeism. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Spondylolysis is a defect in the pars interarticularis. Its etiology remains controversial, it is a common condition among young athletes, and it carries genetic predisposition. Although described mostly as an incidental radiographic finding in the adult population, spondylolysis is implicated as a contributing factor to low back pain, although the cause-and-effect relation is not clear. METHODS: One hundred and sixty-nine police officers with L5-S1 spondylolysis were identified out of 3988 examined. Incidence density of sickness absenteeism due to low back pain was calculated for the patients and the controls. The Cox's proportional hazard model was used for comparison between the two groups, controlling for possible confounding variables. RESULTS: Similar incidence of sickness absenteeism due to low back pain was found among the patients and controls. The total duration of sickness absenteeism, however, was 2.7 times higher in the spondylolysis group than the controls. Prevalence of spondylolysis is origin specific, denoting genetic predisposition to this condition. Total sickness absenteeism not related to low back pain was not significantly different between the two study groups. CONCLUSIONS: There is low predictive value of pre-employment lumbar spine radiograph as a screening tool predicting sickness absenteeism due to low back pain. Spondylolysis, however, may increase the duration of sickness absenteeism in patients with low back pain.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed2005

Effect of sporting activity on absenteeism in a working population.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of sporting activity on absenteeism in a working population. METHODS: Data were used from a prospective cohort study in a working population with a follow up period of 3 years and were collected with yearly questionnaires or collected from company records. Complete data on absenteeism, sporting activity, and potential confounders were collected for 1228 workers. ANOVA was used to test differences in frequency and duration of absenteeism, correlations were computed to measure the association between number of sporting years (divided by age) and frequency and duration of absenteeism, and survival analysis, according to the Cox proportional hazards model, was used to test differences in relative risk at absenteeism and recovery. All analyses were adjusted for age, gender, smoking, and alcohol consumption, and were stratified for employees with sedentary and with more active jobs. RESULTS: ANOVA showed a statistically significant higher mean duration of absenteeism among employees not practicing sports, of approximately 20 days over a period of 4 years. The survival analysis showed an increased relative risk at absenteeism (relative risk (RR) 1.09; confidence interval (CI) 1.01 to 1.18) and a decreased relative risk at recovery (RR 0.90; CI 0.85 to 0.95) for employees not practicing sports. The effect of sporting activity is larger in employees with sedentary work. No associations were found between number of sporting years and absenteeism. CONCLUSION: Employees practicing sports take sick leave significantly less often than their colleagues not practicing sports, while their periods of sick leave are shorter, especially when their work is sedentary.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1994

Preschool children's absenteeism from Swedish municipal day-care centres because of illness in 1977 and 1990. Geographical variations and characteristics of the day-care centres.

A study was undertaken to compare the absenteeism from Swedish day-care centre departments (DCCDs) because of illness in different geographical areas in 1977 and 1990, and to determine whether any characteristics of DCCDs could explain variations in absenteeism. Recordings of absenteeism were made during the same three months among 0-6-year-olds enrolled at 476 DCCDs in 1977 and at 561 DCCDs in 1990. Absenteeism was measured as the number of days in which the children did not attend their DCCD because of any illness divided by the total number of days for which they could have attended. The results, which are representative for Sweden, showed that absenteeism was highest in the three largest cities and their suburbs and in industrial areas, and lowest in rural and sparsely populated municipalities. In all geographical areas absenteeism was higher in 1977 than in 1990. Among the 0-2-year-olds, absenteeism was higher among those enrolled in groups for young children that among those in extended groups for siblings. For the 0-2-year-olds, the amount of time spent outdoors together with the day-care group was inversely associated with absenteeism.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed2005

Evaluation of school absenteeism data for early outbreak detection, New York City.

BACKGROUND: School absenteeism data may have utility as an early indicator of disease outbreaks, however their value should be critically examined. This paper describes an evaluation of the utility of school absenteeism data for early outbreak detection in New York City (NYC). METHODS: To assess citywide temporal trends in absenteeism, we downloaded three years (2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04) of daily school attendance data from the NYC Department of Education (DOE) website. We applied the CuSum method to identify aberrations in the adjusted daily percent absent. A spatial scan statistic was used to assess geographic clustering in absenteeism for the 2001-02 academic year. RESULTS: Moderate increases in absenteeism were observed among children during peak influenza season. Spatial analysis detected 790 significant clusters of absenteeism among elementary school children (p < 0.01), two of which occurred during a previously reported outbreak. CONCLUSION: Monitoring school absenteeism may be moderately useful for detecting large citywide epidemics, however, school-level data were noisy and we were unable to demonstrate any practical value in using cluster analysis to detect localized outbreaks. Based on these results, we will not implement prospective monitoring of school absenteeism data, but are evaluating the utility of more specific school-based data for outbreak detection.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1999

Trends in absenteeism rates following psychological intervention-preliminary results.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between absenteeism rates and psychological intervention over a 6-month period in an agency with 334 employees in Klang Valley, Malaysia, which had the highest absenteeism rates. METHODS: The absenteeism rates were measured every 6 months between January 1991 and December 1992. All employees were interviewed and those who scored one positive item on the diagnosis interviewed schedule (DIS) screening, were given counselling, referrals to appropriate agencies and treatment by 2 psychiatrists. RESULTS: Between July and December 1992, the frequency of absenteeism decreased, but the severity rate of absenteeism and the mean length (of a spell and lost time percentage) were higher compared to those in the preceding 6 months. We found that the percentage of absenteeism rate of less than 7 days was significantly reduced between July and December 1992, as compared to July and December 1991. CONCLUSION: Psychological interventions were likely to have contributed to the decreased absenteeism rates of less than 7 days but not for longer periods of absenteeism, which can be attributed to more serious illness or injuries.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1985

[Changes in absenteeism trends in selected disease groups (data based on a 10-year observation)].

Sickness absenteeism has been exhibiting, for many years now, constantly increasing trends. A particularly rapid increase in absenteeism has been that due to diseases of the circulatory and musculoskeletal systems. The object was to follow the changes in absenteeism parameters due to those two groups of diseases. The analysis was based on absenteeism data from two precision industry plants collected over 10 years. Study I involved 6509 persons, whereas study II--11 068. In groups homogeneous in respect to sex, age, and occupational exposure changes in the following absenteeism parameters were compared: (1) % of those absent for some cause, (2) average number of days per 1 absenteeism case, (3) average number of cases per 1 patient, (4) average number of days per 1 patient annually. It has been demonstrated that the increase in absenteeism rates in the groups of diseases concerned resulted mainly from prolongation of an average duration of absenteeism case.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1998

Mental health, absenteeism and earnings at a large manufacturing worksite.

BACKGROUND: A few recent studies have examined the relationship between mental illness and labor market variables. The findings are inconsistent, however, and leave unanswered many questions concerning both the nature and magnitude of the relationship. AIMS OF THE STUDY: A recently available worksite-based data set is analyzed to explore the relationship between symptoms of emotional and psychological problems and employee absenteeism and earnings among employees at a large US worksite. METHODS: The analysis was based on data collected through a random and anonymous survey of workers at a large US manufacturing worksite. Two measures of absenteeism are combined - days absent during the past 30 days due to sickness or injury and days absent during the past 30 days because the employee did not want to be at work - to create both a dichotomous (i.e., ever absent) and a continuous (i.e., number of days absent) absenteeism variable. Annual earnings were measured as personal earnings from the primary job. Various statistical models were tested to determine the independent and joint (with alcohol and illicit drug use) relationship between symptoms of emotional problems and labor market variables. RESULTS: The analysis consistently finds that workers who report symptoms of emotional/psychological problems have higher absenteeism and lower earnings than otherwise similar coworkers. This finding is robust to model specification and to the inclusion of comorbid conditions such as alcohol and illicit drug use. DISCUSSION: This study contributes new information to the literature in this area by estimating the effects of emotional/psychological symptoms on two important labor market variables: absenteeism and earnings. Several specifications of the absenteeism and earnings equations were estimated to test the independent effect of emotional symptoms and the joint effects of emotional symptoms and other comorbid conditions. The results suggest that employers should consider the productivity losses associated with workers' mental health when designing worksite-based programs such as employee assistance programs (EAPs). LIMITATIONS: Unlike national surveys of households or individuals, the sample does not include unemployed individuals or those outside the labor force. Therefore, the decision to participate in the labor market can not be modeled. In addition, the study relies on voluntary self-reported survey data that may suffer from underreporting of substance use and emotional symptoms. Although respondents were repeatedly assured about confidentiality, if underreporting does exist, it may be more acute than in household surveys because respondents may be more worried about job loss if they self-report drug or alcohol use at the worksite. CONCLUSIONS: All four measures of emotional symptoms had a positive and statistically significant relationship with absenteeism and a negative and statistically significant relationship with personal earnings. These findings were robust across all specifications, even when the effects of other potentially confounding factors (i.e., alcohol and drug use variables) are included. In addition, the number of days intoxicated and cigarette use in the past year appear to be significantly related to earnings even after controlling for emotional symptoms. Finally, the explanatory power of the models is relatively high for cross-sectional data, especially for the earnings regressions. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH CARE PROVISION AND USE: The findings from this worksite suggest that employers might do well to reassess the priorities of their EAPs and consider directing more of their resources to diagnosing and assisting employees with emotional and psychological distress. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH POLICY FORMULATION: It is strongly suggestive that mental health status is related to absenteeism and earnings for employees at this worksite. However, most employer-based programs and policies are designed to dissuade the use of alcohol and illicit drugs by workers (e.g., employee drug and alcohol testing) rather than addressing other employee behaviors and problems. IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH: Numerous opportunities are present to collect similar data from other worksites and settings to determine whether these models and results are robust.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Association of air pollution with school absenteeism due to illness.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of air pollution and school absenteeism among elementary students. DESIGN: Time-series analysis of air pollution and school absenteeism data with controlling for long-term trends, seasonality, day of the week, and holiday as well as meteorologic variables. SETTING: School absenteeism data for the period from March 2, 1996, to December 22, 1999, were collected from student attendance reports of one elementary school in Seoul, Korea. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of daily illness-related absences was analyzed against the daily levels of air pollution by generalized additive Poisson regression. The relative risks of absenteeism for air pollution exposure of interquartile ranges (the range from the lowest 25% of the value to the lowest 75% of the value) on absenteeism were calculated on the same day. RESULTS: Exposure to air pollutants such as particulate matter of 10 micro m or less in aerodynamic diameter (PM(10)), sulfur dioxide, and ozone, was associated with illness-related absenteeism. The estimated relative risks were 1.06 (95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.09) per 42.1- micro g/m( 3) increase in PM(10), 1.09 (95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.12) per 5.68-part per billion increase in sulfur dioxide, and 1.08 (95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.11) per 15.94-part per billion increase in ozone. There was no significant relationship between nitrogen dioxide level and illness-related absenteeism. CONCLUSION: Air pollution is associated with illness-related absences among elementary students.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1986

Health promotion for educators: impact on absenteeism.

The impact of a comprehensive worksite health promotion program on employee absenteeism in a large metropolitan school district was evaluated. Participants in the program (n = 3,846) did not differ from nonparticipants (n = 8,290) in age or sex distributions. Program participants improved their physical fitness, body composition, coronary risk factors, and overall feeling of well-being. Absenteeism was determined for the study year and for the previous year from records in the district personnel office. Absenteeism differences were evaluated by analysis of covariance by using age, sex, ethnic group, and the previous year's absenteeism as covariates. Participants who completed the health promotion program had an average of 1.25 days less absenteeism (P less than 0.0001) during the study year than nonparticipants. Regression analyses indicated that improvement in physical fitness was associated with less absenteeism. The results suggest that a reduction in absenteeism due to the health promotion program was possibly associated with an improvement in physical fitness.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1997

Predicting factors for absenteeism in patients with major depressive disorders.

This study examines the predicting factors for absenteeism in depressed patients. Using a 'cross-sectional' design, we observed 345 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorders as assessed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, third edition revised (DSM-III-R) criteria and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) [12] score higher than 12. The treatment group (n = 268) were treated with antidepressants (n = 98 with fluoxetine and n = 170 with tricyclics [amitriptyline, clomipramine]) for at least one week and the non treated group (n = 67) had not received antidepressants for at least one month. Sociodemographic, clinical and therapeutic data was collected. The primary endpoint was absenteeism from work. Logistic regression analysis of these data was used to identify potential predictive variables. The rate of absenteeism from work was greater in non treated (70.2%) compared to treated patients (39.8% for fluoxetine group and 57.7% for tricyclics group). The risk of absenteeism for patients treated with tricyclics was 2.45 times greater than for patients treated with fluoxetine (odds-ratio = 2.45, CI 95% = 1.1-4.7). For all patients, the strongest predictors of absenteeism from work were symptom severity (odds-ratio = 44.4, CI 95% = 7.9-250) followed by past history of depression (odds-ratio = 6.85, CI 95% = 2.6-18.4) and past history of absenteeism (odds-ratio = 6.51, CI 95% = 2.0-204). In conclusion, the risk of absenteeism from work increases with depression severity and is higher with tricyclics compared to fluoxetine.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed2003

[Work satisfaction and absenteeism of nursing staff--comparative study of 1021 nurse trainees and nurses].

PURPOSE: To analyse the high level of absenteeism among nursing trainees compared with nursing staff. Unlike previous studies, the present study focussed on work satisfaction and motivation. Specifically, combining satisfaction with absenteeism was a novel approach. METHOD: For assessing work satisfaction, a standardised form with 73 items in four areas was drafted and checked in a pre-test (n = 150). 861 nurses and 159 trainees were interviewed. The absenteeism data given by the nursing staff were compared with the 'missing' records of the personnel department. RESULTS: In all areas it was found that, in particular, problems of organisation, personnel management and working atmosphere in the hospital were a burden on the employees. In detail, however, there were considerable differences between nurses and trainees in respect of appraisal. Work organisation: Although trainees rated work organisation aspects lower than nurses, direct relationship to work satisfaction was less pronounced. For the trainees, improvements are imperative in respect of active self-responsibility. Leadership/co-operation: Trainees rated supervisor behaviour and working atmosphere lower than their colleagues. There was a direct relation to satisfaction and absenteeism. Workload/stress: Although their responsibility was less, a larger proportion of the trainees felt stressed. This was directly related to work satisfaction and absenteeism. Fluctuation and turnover: 44% of the trainees would be prepared to work up to the age of retirement, but only 25% of the qualified staff. Nevertheless, three-quarters of the trainees and two-thirds of the nurses would choose the same profession again. Hence, unfavourable local (internal) circumstances led to the discontent and not the profession as such. CONCLUSIONS: The extremely high absenteeism of nursing trainees calls for action on the part of school and hospital management. There is a need for better information and care before and during professional training, because workload will be higher at the end of the training. The study indicates possibilities of increasing work satisfaction and decreasing absenteeism of trainees.

Absenteeism↗