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PubMedDate not supplied

[The conditions of industrial lighting and the state of the visual work capacity of operators working with video terminals].

Operators constantly working with video display computer terminals present significant changes in visual efficiency as evidenced by unstable dynamics of professionally meaningful functions and augmentation of excitatory process in cortical portion of the visual analyzer. The examinees' complaints and decrement in working efficiency in the second half of the work shift suggest generalization of the process. Strain in the visual analyzer performance is referrable to high intensity and strain in work, as well as to irrational lighting and unfavourable conditions for visual work.

Computer Terminals↗

PubMed1991

Zero crossing rate of electromyograms during occupational work and endurance tests as predictors for work related myalgia in the shoulder/neck region.

The relationship between electromyographic signs of fatigue (ESF) during work and occupation-related myalgia in the shoulder/neck region was investigated in a longitudinal study. Forty-three healthy female assembly workers were studied over 2 years. Measurements were performed at the start of the study with follow-up measurements after 1 and 2 years. The ESF were estimated as the zero crossing rate of electromyograms (EMG) detected during short test contractions performed during short breaks in normal work. As a complement, an endurance test using EMG records was performed and analysed with the zero crossing technique. The occurrence of shoulder/neck disorders was assessed by a clinical investigation and a questionnaire. No significant relationship between ESF during work in year 0 and deterioration of the disorder was seen. On the other hand, the absolute zero crossing rate and the time constant of the zero crossing decline from the endurance test showed a significant relationship with deterioration of the disorder. The ESF during work year 2, showed a significant relationship with disorder year 2, while the endurance test parameters year 2 did not. It was concluded that ESF during work was not a predictor of muscle injury, whereas it could be useful as a diagnostic tool.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Work satisfaction and career aspirations of internists working in teaching hospital group practices.

This paper presents data on the characteristics, work activities, job-related stress, work satisfaction, and career aspirations of 150 faculty and 595 housestaff physicians who regularly provide continuous primary care in 15 teaching hospital-based group practices. The faculty were young, board-certified generalists; they had been recruited from local training programs and spent the majority of their time seeing patients and supervising housestaff. Job satisfaction among faculty and housestaff was generally high. Dissatisfaction occurred most often with aspects of work over which physicians had little control. Although work-related stress was common, it was not related to job satisfaction. Compared with housestaff in traditional residency programs, housestaff enrolled in special Primary Care Training Programs reported significantly greater job satisfaction. For all housestaff, satisfaction with work in the group practice was consistently associated with decreased interest in subspecialty training.

Aspirations, Psychological↗

PubMed2005

Working late: the impact of work after 70 on longevity, health and function.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although many older persons choose to postpone retirement, the health consequences of this decision are still debated. This study aimed at determining the impact of continued employment on life-style, well-being, health and survival in a cohort of community-dwelling 70-year-olds. METHODS: A longitudinal study of a homogeneously aged cohort was conducted in two stages. Data from extensive interviews, physical examinations and clinical laboratory information were obtained from west Jerusalem residents born in 1920-1 through home-based examinations. In 1990-1, 162 women and 218 men were examined, at age 70, and in 1997-8, 390 women and 398 men at age 77. Two hundred and thirty one subjects participated in both study stages and were available for longitudinal analysis. For each subject at each study stage, a comprehensive profile detailed social characteristics, including life-style and personal functions, and medical status including illnesses and use of medical services. At each stage, employed subjects were compared with those who neither worked for compensation nor as volunteers. Logistic regression compared health outcomes at age 77 for subjects who worked at age 70 with those of subjects who had not. RESULTS: At age 70, 37 women and 98 men were gainfully employed, whereas 125 women and 120 men did not work. At age 77, wage-earners numbered 26 women and 95 men, and non-workers 364 women and 303 men. In the cross-sectional analyses at ages 70 and 77, work correlated with better perceived health and greater independence for both women and men. Independent of pre-existing economic difficulties, education, illnesses, functional dependence and self-assessed health, workers at age 70 after seven years were in better health (OR 2.12, 95% CI 1.04, 4.30), had more ADL independence, (OR 2.60, 95% CI 1.08, 6.29) and increased survival rates (OR 2.13, 95% CI 1.06, 4.28). CONCLUSIONS: Independent of baseline status, working at age 70 correlates with health, self-sufficiency and longevity.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1994

Work-related and non-work-related musculoskeletal symptoms.

The purpose of the study was to analyse the prevalence of self-reported work-related and non-work-related musculoskeletal symptoms among white- and blue-collar workers. The study was carried out at eight metal industry companies and included 450 subjects, where 241 were blue-collar workers and 209 were white-collar workers. Among the blue-collar workers 39% were females and among the white-collar workers 35% were females. The study was based on a questionnaire, using the general standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). The NMQ was completed with a question concerning whether or not the symptoms were believed to be related to the individual's present work. It was found that the differences between white- and blue-collar workers' musculoskeletal symptoms became greater when solely work-related symptoms were included, compared with symptoms in general according to the NMQ. Furthermore, it was found in both groups that the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms decreased substantially when solely work-related symptoms were included, compared with symptoms in general.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1991

Sickness absence and work strain among Danish slaughterhouse workers: an analysis of absence from work regarded as coping behaviour.

This paper comprises two parts: a theoretical part in which a number of theoretical and methodological recommendations about research on absence are made on the basis of a review of selected literature, and an empirical part that contains analyses of absence from work in the Danish slaughterhouse industry. In the theoretical part it is asserted that sickness absence cannot be understood if it is viewed as a simple function of ill health or other individual factors, such as job dissatisfaction. Absence should rather be regarded as a coping behaviour that reflects an individual's perception of his/her health (illness) and is a function of a number of factors at different levels, primarily the combination of job demands and coping possibilities at the job (job strain). Several ideal methodological requirements regarding absence research are formulated on this basis. The empirical part presents an analysis of absence from work in the Danish slaughterhouse industry based on a study of 4407 slaughterhouse workers. It is shown that a number of factors at the company level, the job level and the individual level are associated with an individual's absence from work over a 12-month period. It is further shown that people with high job strain have a significantly higher absence rate, that there is a clear association between sickness absence and perceived health and that absence is part of a pattern along with other coping strategies which are directed against stressing working conditions and perceived ill health. Lastly, it is discussed whether absence from work is a functional coping strategy.

Abattoirs↗

PubMed2005

A comparative study of organisational characteristics, work characteristics and nurses' psychological work reactions in a hospital and nursing home setting.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was twofold. First, we explored whether there were any differences concerning organisational characteristics, work characteristics and psychological work reactions in two types of health care setting, hospitals and nursing homes. Second, it was investigated and validated whether relationships between organisational characteristics, work characteristics and psychological work reactions found in research on hospital nursing are also present in nursing homes. METHODS: The variables were assessed by questionnaires that were distributed among nurses and caregivers in 15 randomly selected general hospitals and 14 nursing homes in the Netherlands. Manova and hierarchical regression analyses were carried out to explore differences in the variables and in relationships between the variables. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Results show that the major difference in hospital-based and nursing home practice is in the work organisation as assessed by the organisational characteristics "environmental uncertainty" and "decision authority". Relations found between variables are in majority in line with the JDC-model and confirm the applicability of this theory in different types of health care settings.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

[Musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity associated with work: from presentation to work maintenance].

The so called Musculo-Squeletal-Disorders in the upper extremity are frequent and are responsible for a significant cost. The increase in registered work-related affections has been quite impressive in the past few years. The type of social undertaking is determinant on the evolution and final outcome of the pathology. Our proposal for a "Passport to work continuation" follows two goals: facilitate and enhance the relations between medical and social workers concerned by the patient's course reduce the time off-work, improve prevention of work related pathologies, avoid dismissal for inaptitude, start earlier a vocational training, a rehabilitation or an adaptation of the work station.

Arm↗

PubMed2005

The work to make telemedicine work: a social and articulative view.

This article contends that the take up of telemedicine results inevitably in the reconfiguration of the existing work practices and socio-material relationships. This new way of working triggers a variety of shifts in coordination mechanisms, work processes and power relationships in the health care sector. The paper, which is based on the findings of a research project conducted in Northern Italy, addresses three critical issues of telemedicine: the conflict between the scripts embodied in telemedicine technologies and the daily work practices of heath care professionals; the tendency of telemedicine to produce a delegation of medical tasks to non-medical personnel (and to artifacts); and the tendency of telemedicine to modify the existing geography within the health care environment. The paper contends that telemedicine presupposes and entails some significant changes in work processes which affect both the material conditions of the expertise which is supposed to be distributed, and the relationships between health care professionals and their practices.

Delivery of Health Care↗

PubMed1991

Does "grief work" work?

This article challenges the long-standing belief in the necessity of "grief work" for adjustment to bereavement. Evidence is offered from a prospective study of 30 widows and 30 widowers that indicates that grief work is not always as essential for adjustment to bereavement as theorists and clinicians have claimed. Widows who avoided confronting their loss did not differ in their depression scores from widows who worked through their grief. However, for widowers, performance of grief work was associated with better adjustment over an 18-month period. The implications of these findings for the grief work hypothesis are considered.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1992

Antecedents and outcomes of work-family conflict: testing a model of the work-family interface.

A comprehensive model of the work-family interface was developed and tested. The proposed model extended prior research by explicitly distinguishing between work interfering with family and family interfering with work. This distinction allowed testing of hypotheses concerning the unique antecedents and outcomes of both forms of work-family conflict and a reciprocal relationship between them. The influence of gender, race, and job type on the generalizability of the model was also examined. Data were obtained through household interviews with a random sample of 631 individuals. The model was tested with structural equation modeling techniques. Results were strongly supportive. In addition, although the model was invariant across gender and race, there were differences across blue- and white-collar workers. Implications for future research on the work-family interface are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1991

Incidence of work-related disorders and absenteeism as tools in the implementation of work environment improvements: the Sweden Post strategy.

In 1989, a comprehensive, five-year work environment project (Postal Work Environment [PWE] 2000) was launched by Sweden Post (SP). Its purpose was to identify the jobs and employees with the most exposed work environments and, in conjunction herewith, to initiate remedial programmes. Standardized interviews with a selection of employees and statistical and epidemiological evaluation of illness absenteeism and occupational injuries served as input data for devising different measures of work-related ill health (subjective complaints, symptoms, illness, illness absenteeism, and occupational injury). The results provided an incentive to regional action programmes, in which 'risk areas and risk occupations' were correlated with the load factors, primarily in ergonomic and work organization areas, cited in interview replies. In its regional efforts. PWE 2000 served as a stimulus/catalyst in the implementation of various regional action programmes.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed2002

Small-group work and assessment in a PBL curriculum: a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of student perceptions of the process of working in small groups and its assessment.

The problem based learning (PBL) curriculum at Manchester emphasizes small-group work. This is supported through group assessment where students assess key aspects of their group's function. In the study described here the authors evaluated students' perceptions of both PBL group work and what a group assessment needs to assess. They aimed to produce a description of the cognitive and motivational influences on group process and unpack the ways they contribute to a successful PBL group so that the kinds of skills an effective assessment should assess could be identified. Focus groups and a questionnaire were used to generate the data. The focus group results indicate that students support PBL group work as a method of learning, and that those groups that work cooperatively are perceived as facilitating the most motivating learning environment. The students supported the assessment being summative and felt that it could be simplified to measure: behavioural skills contributing to maximizing motivation of the group process; and cognitive skills relating to the content of the group discussion. The questionnaire results also supported the use of a summative assessment of small-group work that evaluates the domains of group process and the content of the group discussion.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Psychosocial work environment and incidence of severe depressive symptoms: prospective findings from a 5-year follow-up of the Danish work environment cohort study.

The authors analyzed the impact of psychosocial work characteristics on the incidence of severe depressive symptoms among 4,133 (49% women) employees from a representative sample of the Danish workforce between 1995 and 2000. Psychosocial work characteristics at baseline included quantitative demands, influence at work, possibilities for development, social support from supervisors and coworkers, and job insecurity. Severe depressive symptoms were measured with the five-item Mental Health Inventory of the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey, with a cutoff point of 52. Women with low influence at work (relative risk (RR) = 2.17, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23, 3.82) and low supervisor support (RR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.20, 3.43) were at increased risk for severe depressive symptoms after exclusion of cases at baseline and adjustment for sociodemographic factors, baseline depression score, and health behaviors. Further adjustments for socioeconomic position did not change the result substantially. Additional analyses showed that a one-standard deviation increase on the influence scale resulted in a 27% decreased risk of severe depressive symptoms. Among men, job insecurity predicted severe depressive symptoms (RR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.02, 4.07). The findings indicate that the work environment influences the risk of developing severe depressive symptoms and that different factors play a role for men and women.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Effectiveness of aroma on work efficiency: lavender aroma during recesses prevents deterioration of work performance.

The present study investigated whether exposure to aromas during recess periods affects work performance. Subjects comprised 36 healthy male students (mean age, 24.2 +/- 2.2 years) who were randomly divided into three groups: (1) control group, not exposed to aroma during recesses; (2) jasmine group, exposed to jasmine aroma during recesses; and (3) lavender group, exposed to lavender aroma during recesses. All participants completed five work sessions performing a task requiring concentration on a computer monitor, with each session lasting 60 min. Recess periods of 30 min were provided between each session. To clarify the time at which work concentration was lowest, work performance for the control group was analyzed. Concentration was lowest in the afternoon period, where afternoon drowsiness is strongest. Comparison of the three groups for this time period indicated significantly higher concentration levels for the lavender group than for the control group. No such effect was noted for the jasmine group. Although lavender is a sedative-type aroma, use during recess periods after accumulation of fatigue seems to prevent deterioration of performance in subsequent work sessions.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Professional shift-work drivers who adopt prophylactic naps can reduce the risk of car accidents during night work.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Night work can be dangerous because both circadian sleep propensity (process C) and sleep pressure due to the prolonged wakefulness (process S) contribute to the reduction of vigilance levels. As naps are a countermeasure to sleepiness, this study evaluates the role they play in preventing sleep-related accidents in Italian shift-working police drivers. DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: The study concerns highway car accidents that occurred to Italian shift-working police drivers; it was performed in 2 steps: a retrospective analysis of the overall number of accidents that occurred during the years 1993--1997 (n, 1195), followed by a validation analysis of a smaller cohort of accidents prospectively collected during 2003 (n, 84). INTERVENTIONS: N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS: The influence of process S, process C, driver characteristics, and context conditions on accident risk, estimated by means of Cox hazard regression, revealed that nighttime accident risk was mainly influenced by process S levels. Consequently, an experimental mathematical model linking the hourly observed number of accidents to process S levels was designed. Its generalization to the theoretical case of drivers omitting naps showed an increase of about 38% of accidents. PROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS: In order to validate our results, we compared retrospective and prospective sleep patterns: no statistical difference was found. Again, the hourly number of accidents increased with homeostatic sleep pressure; the theoretical efficacy of napping was quantified in 48% accidents decrease. CONCLUSIONS: Our data seem to confirm that napping before working a night shift is an effective countermeasure to alertness and performance deterioration associated with night work. Moreover, this self-initiated behavior could have a prophylactic efficacy in reducing the number of car accidents.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed1994

Measuring nurses' satisfaction with the quality of their work and work environment.

This article discusses the Work Quality Index, a 38-item scale developed to measure the satisfaction of nurses with their work and work culture. The instrument, which is an outgrowth of a study of 245 nurses at a large northwestern acute care medical center, was developed using factor analysis and maximum likelihood extraction techniques. The index contains six subscales: professional work environment, autonomy, work worth, professional relationships, role enactment, and benefits. It is responsive to the 1993 proposed Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations standards for improvement of organizational performance.

Abstracting and Indexing↗

PubMed2005

The use of intraservice work per unit of time (IWPUT) and the building block method (BBM) for the calculation of surgical work.

OBJECTIVE: We will review the contribution to the Medicare Fee Schedule (MFS) by the techniques of intensity of work per unit of time (IWPUT), the building block methodology (BBM), and the work accomplished by the American College of Surgeons General Surgery Coding & Reimbursement Committee (GSCRC) in using IWPUT/BBM to detect undervalued surgical procedures and recommend payment increases. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The MFS has had a major impact on surgeons' income since its introduction in 1992 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and additionally has been adopted for use by many commercial insurers. A major component of MFS is physician work, measured as the relative value of work (RVW), which has 2 components: time and intensity. These components are incorporated by: RVW = time x intensity. METHODS: This work formula can be rearranged to give the IWPUT, which has become a powerful tool to calculate the amount of RVW performed by physicians. Most procedures are valued by the total RVW in the global surgical package, which includes pre-, intra-, and postoperative care for a time after surgery. Summing these perioperative components into RVW is called the building block methodology (BBM). RESULTS: Using these techniques, the GSCRC increased the values for 314 surgery procedures during a recent CMS 5-year review, resulting in an increase to general surgeons of roughly 76 million dollars annually. CONCLUSIONS: The use of IWPUT/BBM has been instrumental to correct payment for undervalued surgical procedures. They are powerful methods to measure RVW across specialties and to solve reimbursement, compensation, and practice management problems facing surgeons.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.↗