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The Journal of Headache and Pain
Published in: The Journal of Headache and Pain 1/2013

Open Access 01-12-2013 | Research article

Self-reported headache among the employees of a Swiss university hospital: prevalence, disability, current treatment, and economic impact

Authors: Emina Sokolovic, Franz Riederer, Thomas Szucs, Reto Agosti, Peter Stefan Sándor

Published in: The Journal of Headache and Pain | Issue 1/2013

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Abstract

Background

The objectives of this cross-sectional, observational study were to determine the prevalence of self-reported headache among the employees of the large Swiss university hospital, to measure the impact of headache using the MIDAS questionnaire, to assess current treatment and to estimate economic burden of headache considering indirect costs.

Methods

A self-administered questionnaire was distributed internally to 2000 randomly selected employees of the University Hospital Zurich.

Results

1210 employees (60.5%) responded. Of the 1192 (98.5%) employees who provided sufficiently complete information, 723 (61%) reported at least one headache type in the last three months. The prevalence of migraine, and tension-type headache was 20% and 50%, respectively. Regarding the occupational groups, there was a trend that healthcare staff, administration employees, and medical technicians suffered more from headaches than physicians, correcting for age and sex. The economic consequences of lost productivity were calculated to amount to approximately 14 million Swiss Francs (9.5 million EUR), representing 3.2% of the overall annual expenditure of the hospital for personnel.

Conclusion

Headache is highly prevalent among university hospital employees, with significant economic impact.
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Metadata
Title
Self-reported headache among the employees of a Swiss university hospital: prevalence, disability, current treatment, and economic impact
Authors
Emina Sokolovic
Franz Riederer
Thomas Szucs
Reto Agosti
Peter Stefan Sándor
Publication date
01-12-2013
Publisher
Springer Milan
Published in
The Journal of Headache and Pain / Issue 1/2013
Print ISSN: 1129-2369
Electronic ISSN: 1129-2377
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1129-2377-14-29

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