Research Plus

Presenteeism: a systematic review

A total of 113 papers were found to meet evidence criteria on so-called presenteeism – decreased on-the-job performance due to health problems. Various standardised scales exist, but the Work Limitations Questionnaire and Health and Work Performance Questionnaire are the most useful for general populations. There is moderate-to-high quality evidence on the impact of allergies, arthritis, gastro-intestinal and mental health conditions; a lack of relevant studies on chronic pain; low-quality studies on obesity; and weak evidence on diabetes. There was only one presenteeism study (moderate quality) investigating musculoskeletal conditions. In general, the more health risks an individual has the greater the impact on productivity.

Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation 2007; online first: DOI 10.1007/s10926-007-9096-x.  http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10926-007-9096-x

Tags evidence based practice presenteeism

Occupational Health at Work October/November 2007 (vol. 04/3) pp41