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Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology
Published in: Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research

Nurse-work instability and incidence of sick leave – results of a prospective study of nurses aged over 40

Authors: Melanie Klein, Stefanie Wobbe-Ribinski, Anika Buchholz, Albert Nienhaus, Anja Schablon

Published in: Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology | Issue 1/2018

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Abstract

Background

The Nurse Work Instability Scale (Nurse-WIS) is an occupation-specific instrument that ascertains “work instability,” the interval before restricted work ability or prolonged sick leave occurs. The objective of the study was to assess if nurses with a high risk baseline-score in the Nurse-WIS take longer periods of sick leave due to musculoskeletal diseases and/or psychological impairments than other nurses.

Methods

A total of 4500 nurses randomly selected from one of the largest health insurance funds in Germany (DAK-Gesundheit) were invited by letter to participate in the study. The participants answered a questionnaire at baseline and gave consent to a transfer of data concerning sick leave during the twelve months following completion of the questionnaire from the health insurance to the study centre. Sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) for long-term sick leave were calculated. In order to analyze the association between the Nurse-WIS and sick leave during follow-up, a multiple ordinal logistic model (proportional odds model) was applied.

Results

A total of 1592 nurses took part in the study (response 35.6%). No loss of follow-up occurred. The number of nurses with a high score (20–28 points) in the Nurse-WIS was 628 (39.4%), and 639 (40.1%) had taken sick leave due to musculoskeletal diseases or psychological impairment during the follow-up period. The odds ratio for sick leave in nurses with a high Nurse-WIS score was 3.42 (95%CI 2.54–4.60). Sensitivity for long-term sick leave (< 42 days) was 64.1%, specificity 63.4%, PPV 17.0% and NPP 93.8%.

Conclusion

The German version of the Nurse-WIS predicts long-term sick leave, but the PPV is rather low. Combining questionnaire data with secondary data from a health insurer was feasible. Therefore further studies employing this combination of data are advisable.
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Metadata
Title
Nurse-work instability and incidence of sick leave – results of a prospective study of nurses aged over 40
Authors
Melanie Klein
Stefanie Wobbe-Ribinski
Anika Buchholz
Albert Nienhaus
Anja Schablon
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1745-6673
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12995-018-0212-y

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