PAM19: A REVIEW OF FUNCTIONAL STATUS MEASURES FOR WORKERS WITH UPPER EXTREMITY DISORDERS (original) (raw)
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Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 2005
Objective: This study was conducted with the participation of 120 workers at a laboratory of clinical pathology, with the objective of determining the association of demographic factors, clinical and occupational case histories, individual characteristics, work-related stress and ergonomic workplace analysis with the following outcomes: musculoskeletal symptoms and absences from work associated with these symptoms reported by a questionnaire.
A New Approach to the Measurement of Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders
Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2006
In many studies, a standardized symptoms checklist is used to measure work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Most questionnaires include measures of prevalence, severity and frequency, but little is known about how to combine these measures. One approach for combining various measures of prevalence, frequency and severity is Latent Class Analysis (LCA) that allows for the assessment of the structure of the relationships among the various aspects of reported symptoms. In this paper we explore the use of Latent Class Analysis to analyze the relation between job characteristics and musculoskeletal disorders in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) data 1992-2004.
Review on the validity of self-report to assess work-related diseases
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2011
Purpose Self-report is an efficient and accepted means of assessing population characteristics, risk factors, and diseases. Little is known on the validity of self-reported work-related illness as an indicator of the presence of a work-related disease. This study reviews the evidence on (1) the validity of workers' self-reported illness and (2) on the validity of workers' self-assessed work relatedness of an illness. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in four databases (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and OSH-Update). Two reviewers independently performed the article selection and data extraction. The methodological quality of the studies was evaluated, levels of agreement and predictive values were rated against predefined criteria, and sources of heterogeneity were explored. Results In 32 studies, workers' self-reports of health conditions were compared with the ''reference standard'' of expert opinion. We found that agreement was mainly low to moderate. Self-assessed work relatedness of a health condition was examined in only four studies, showing lowto-moderate agreement with expert assessment. The health condition, type of questionnaire, and the case definitions for both self-report and reference standards influence the results of validation studies. Conclusions Workers' self-reported illness may provide valuable information on the presence of disease, although the generalizability of the findings is limited primarily to musculoskeletal and skin disorders. For case finding in a population at risk, e.g., an active workers' health surveillance program, a sensitive symptom questionnaire with a follow-up by a medical examination may be the best choice. Evidence on the validity of self-assessed work relatedness of a health condition is scarce. Adding welldeveloped questions to a specific medical diagnosis exploring the relationship between symptoms and work may be a good strategy.
Applied Ergonomics, 2009
Purpose: The disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) questionnaire is a self-administered region-specific outcome instrument developed as a measure of self-rated upper-extremity disability and symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and the construct validity of the DASH questionnaire by establishing its correlation to the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) in industry workers. Also we aimed to investigate whether the DASH can be used as a standardized questionnaire to evaluate the work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in upper extremity in industrial settings and epidemiological studies. Material and methods: The Turkish version's reliability and construct validity were evaluated in 240 industry workers with upper-extremity musculoskeletal complaints. Workers were asked to complete a packet that included the DASH and the SF-36. Test-retest reliability was assessed in all workers who filled in the DASH questionnaire 15 days later. Construct validity was evaluated by comparing the overall and work component DASH scores with SF-36 summary and subscales. Results: The mean DASH score for the textile workers whose duties were confection, dyeing, sewing, quality control and packaging was calculated as 65, 55, 68, 54 and 67, respectively. As a result of this study, pain intensity in shoulder, wrist and hand was significantly associated with the DASH score (po0.05). Internal consistency of the DASH was high (Cronbach alpha 0.91). Test-retest reliability was excellent for the overall DASH (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.92). Moderate correlations (po0.05) were found between the overall and work component DASH and the SF-36 summary scales. Pearson correlation coefficients of the overall and work component DASH to the SF-36 subscales ranged from À0.33 to À0.82. Conclusion: These results support that DASH is a reliable and valid instrument to measure functional disability and investigate the ergonomic risk factors in textile workers with upper-extremity musculoskeletal complaints.
Clinical and functional aspects of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among active workers
Revista de Saúde Pública, 2008
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate musculoskeletal disorders among active industrial workers. METHODS: The study was carried out in São Carlos, Southeastern Brazil, in 2005. One hundred and thirty-four female workers were physically evaluated and answered questions about their physical symptoms, filled out a pain scale and gave responses in the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire, and the Work Ability Index questionnaire. The data were analyzed descriptively, and in correlation tests and through applying logistic regression. The outcome was evaluated in relation to the perceptions of pain, symptoms, physical assessment, ability to work and disability. RESULTS: Clinical evaluations and sick leave presented positive correlations with the subjective variables. The Work Ability Index presented a negative correlation with the physical disability index (r=-0.69). Symptoms reported at the time of the assessment presented a good correlation with the results from the pain scale and the clinical findings. ...
Measuring Work Limitations in Chronic Low Back Pain
RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT …
Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Reliability and stability of the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire: Intra Class Correlation and limits of agreement Chapter 3 Responsiveness of the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire: consequences of using different external criteria Chapter 4 Test-retest reliability of two Work Limitation Questionnaires in chronic low back pain: 'Functional Ability List' and 'Work & Handicap Questionnaire' Chapter 5 Inter-and intra-rater reliability of the 'Functional Information System' and the 'Functional Ability List' Chapter 6 Test-retest reliability of the Isernhagen Work Systems Functional Capacity Evaluation in patients with chronic low back pain Chapter 7 Test-retest reliability of the Isernhagen Work Systems Functional Capacity Evaluation in healthy adults Chapter 8 Measuring work limitations in patients with chronic low back pain: comparing self-report, clinical examination and functional testing Chapter 9 General discussion and conclusion S u m m a r y Samenvatting Northern Centre for Healthcare research (NCH) and previous dissertations Dankwoord C u r r i c u l u m V i t e a Chapter 1 pain are limited and restricted in their daily functioning but it is not clear to what extent this is caused by pain rather than actual physical impairment. 3 To describe the impact of CLBP on body function and body structure, disability should be described in terms of impairment such as pain intensity, muscle strength and range of motion. 11 To describe the impact of CLBP on patients daily functioning, disability should be described in terms of activity limitations and participation restrictions. Patients are not able to carry out the normal activities for the same duration and frequency as before. Furthermore, CLBP affects quality of life because patients experience restrictions in their social life, at home, in leisure time and at work. Health status Functioning & Disability Body function Activity Participation & structure Environmental factors Personal factors test-retest reliability of the questionnaire has not been investigated. The Functional Information System (FIS) and the Functional Ability List (FAL) were developed in Dutch Social Insurance Medicine as standardized forms to determine capability to work. Until 2000 the FIS was used, nowadays the FAL is used. The social insurance physicians use the results of history taking and physical examination to fill out the standardised form about limitations in the performance of work-related activities. The FIS proved to be reliable; 29 however, in that study the procedures of research did not enable generalisations of the results to daily practice of social insurance physicians. Other psychometric properties of both instruments have not been investigated. Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs) were developed from a need for a more objective measure to assess an individual's functional performance related to work-related activities. 30,31 The 'Isernhagen Work Systems Functional Capacity Evaluation' (IWS FCE) is one of the well-known FCEs. 32 It consists of 28 tests that reflect work-related activities like lifting, carrying, bending etc. The IWS FCE is valid 33,34 and for some items reliable, 35,36 however, the reliability of the whole test battery of the IWS FCE has not been investigated yet. In the mentioned work-related instruments, different assessment perspectives are distinguished for the assessment of work limitations. The WHQ is based on patient's self-report. The FIS and FAL are based on clinical examination. The IWS FCE is based on functional testing. Self-report instruments may reveal the Chapter 2 ABSTRACT Objective: To analyse test-retest reliability and stability of the Dutch language version of the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ-Dv) in a sample of patients (n=30) suffering from Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP). Design: Test-retest reliability was studied after the patients filled out the RMDQ-Dv twice with a two-week interval and before starting the rehabilitation program. Intra Class Correlation (ICC), (one way random) was used as a measure for reliability and the limits of agreement were calculated for quantifying the stability. An ICC of 0.75 or more was considered as an acceptable reliability. No criteria for limits of agreement were available. However, smaller limits of agreement indicate more stability because it indicates that the natural variation is small. Subjects: Thirty patients (24 male and 6 female) with CLBP participated in this study. All patients were referred for treatment in a rehabilitation centre between May 2000 and April 2001 and agreed to participate. Demographics and medical history were obtained of all patients. The mean age of the patients was 40 years (SD 8.1). The duration of low back pain ranged between 5 and 10 years. Patients were off work for a mean of 17 weeks (SD 19.2). Fifteen patients (50%) were receiving financial compensation. Results: The RMDQ-Dv showed good reliability, with an ICC of 0.91. Calculating limits of agreement to quantify the stability, a large amount of natural variation (± 5.4) was found relative to the total scoring range of 0 to 24. Conclusion: The RMDQ-Dv proves to be a reliable instrument to measure functional status in CLBP patients. However, the natural variation should be taken into account when using it clinically.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2002
Pain and other symptoms associated with work-related upper extremity disorders (WRUEDs) can lead to significant distress, lost function, and disability. Identifying factors associated with decreased upper extremity function may lead to the development of more effective interventions. In this study, participants were 165 government employees (127 female, 38 male) with an accepted workers' compensation claim (Ͻ90 days from claim filing) for a WRUED who were unable to perform their normal work. Participants completed baseline measures of upper extremity functional limitation, symptoms, general health status, problem solving orientation, pain coping, and workplace factors. After controlling for pain and gender in a multiple regression analysis, greater functional limitation was further explained by: (1) upper extremity symptoms other than pain (eg, sleep disturbance, numbness and tingling), (2) symptoms in one or both hands, (3) feeling overwhelmed by pain, (4) low confidence in problem solving abilities, and (5) higher ergonomic risk factor exposures at work. The final model accounted for 47.4% of the variance in upper extremity function, F(7157) ϭ 4.33, P Ͻ 0.05. Mental health status was related to functional limitation in univariate, but not multivariate analyses. These results suggest that improving function in this population may require: (1) pain coping techniques and active problem solving to overcome functional barriers, and (2) reduction of workplace ergonomic risk exposure.
Work (Reading, Mass.), 2016
The accuracy of instruments such as questionnaires and the goniometer are critical for measuring the severity of musculoskeletal disorders among office workers. To determine the reliability of the Cornell questionnaire, goniometer and Borg questionnaire, which are commonly used instruments to assess the severity of musculoskeletal disorders in office workers. One hundred twenty healthy office workers, body mass: 87.1 ± 10.3 (kg), age: 27 ± 5.1 (years), height: 1.78 ± 0.16 (m), (mean ± SD), who had at least 1 year of experience in office working, were chosen randomly. A plastic goniometer (30" height) was used three times to measure the range of motion in the neck, hip, knee and shoulder area, with a period of one hour between measurements to evaluate the test-retest accuracy. The Cornell questionnaire was used to measure the severity of musculoskeletal disorders and the Borg scale was used to measure perceived exertion. The questionnaires were filled out twice with a gap of 2 w...