A Survey to Establish Current Practice in Addressing Work Participation with Inflammatory Arthritis in the Irish Clinical Setting.
Citation:
Codd, Y., Stapleton, T., Kane, D., & Mullan, R., A Survey to Establish Current Practice in Addressing Work Participation with Inflammatory Arthritis in the Irish Clinical Setting., Musculoskeletal Care, 16, 2018, 158 - 162Download Item:
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Abstract:
Background: Inflammatory arthritis (IA) is a complex progressive disease, with 2,250cases diagnosed in Ireland annually (Kane & Kavanagh, 2011) and an average age at onset of 35–45 years (Health Service Executive,2015). International guidelines recommend that clinical management maximizes health‐related quality of life, including maintaining workability (Combe et al., 2007; National Institute of Clinical Excellence,2009). It is recognized that participation in paid employment is affected in the early phases of IA and there is a need for increased early support for participation and engagement in work, to ensure improved quality of life outcomes (Codd, Stapleton, Veale, FitzGerald,& Bresnihan, 2010). Research into work disability has recognized the impacts of the diagnosis on occupational performance and participation (Codd et al., 2010; Forsyth et al., 2006; Prior & Hammond,2013). Addressing work issues among people with IA in an organized and timely manner is important, although implementation of this in practice is inconsistent and fragmented (Lacaille et al., 2007; Hoving,et al., 2013; Walker‐Bone & Black, 2016). The American Occupational Therapy Association (2014) practice framework (third edition) identified work as a domain of concern for occupational therapists. UK and Irish surveys examined the perspectives of rheumatology occupational therapists on the provision of work support in clinical practice (Prior & Hammond, 2014; Corcoran et al.,2015). It was found that 64% of referrals were work related (Corcoran et al., 2015), and that one‐third of respondents to the UK survey did not provide vocational rehabilitation (Prior & Hammond, 2014). These studies reaffirmed the challenge of providing equitable and high‐quality occupational therapy work support to this population. International standards recommend the provision of work support, yet variances in the provision of clinical services remain. To date, there has been no examination of multidisciplinary team members' influences in referral to work participation. The present study aimed to compare recommendations for practice by scoping patterns of work referral, and the work support currently available in rheumatology services across Ireland for people with IA and identifying factors which help or hinder provision. We also aimed and to explore the role of occupational therapy in addressing work from the rheumatology teams' perspectives, including current practices and challenges. Methods: Data were gathered using an online survey. A questionnaire was designed specifically to compare the service context in Ireland by the first two authors. It was informed by the literature on best practice work‐related interventions and by previous studies in Ireland and the UK from occupational therapists' perspectives (Prior & Hammond,2014; Corcoran et al., 2015). Piloting was completed, to check for clarity, face validity and the appropriateness of questions. The study sample consisted of medical and healthcare professionals working in clinical rheumatology. The survey participants were identified through professional societies–namely, the Irish Society for Rheumatology, Irish Society for Chartered Physiotherapists and Irish Rheumatology Nursing Forum.Ethical approval to conduct the research was obtained from the research ethics committee from the School of Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin. Data collection was completed between January and March 2016. Results: A total of 73 responses were received from 25 nurses, 18 doctors and30 physiotherapists, indicating a response rate of approximately 22%.
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http://people.tcd.ie/coddyDescription:
PUBLISHED
Author: Codd, Yvonne
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Journal ArticleCollections:
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Musculoskeletal Care16
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Full text availableSubject (TCD):
Immunology, Inflammation & Infection , Inclusive Society , Health outcomesLicences: