Background
Methods
Study design
Setting
Participants and data protection
Definition of the cohort
-
The person was a certified and registered nurse or nursing assistant (DEÜV Social Insurance Code Occupation Key 853 and 854).
-
The person was professionally active, i.e. not unemployed or unwaged.
-
The person was aged ≥40 years and ≤ 65 years.
-
Now working in another professional field (e.g. secretary).
-
Receiving a pension for reduced work capacity before the survey period.
-
Looking for work or taking parental leave.
-
Leaving the DAK or death during the survey period.
Baseline
Follow-up
Variables and data sources
Exposure
Outcome variable
Potential confounders
-
age,
-
gender,
-
type of work (administrative, nursing, equal amounts of administrative and nursing work),
-
shift (day duty, always at the same time, rotating shift excluding nights, rotating shift including nights, only night work),
-
facility (clinic or hospital, old people’s home, facility for the handicapped),
-
training (diploma in nursing, nursing assistant, without training),
-
absenteeism due to musculoskeletal disease and/or psychological impairment in the previous year before baseline (2011).
Statistical analysis
Assessment of the predictive characteristics of the nurse-WIS for long-term sick leave
Prognostic influence of the nurse-WIS on the duration of sick leave
-
no sick leave (0 days),
-
sick leave up to 6 weeks (1–42 days),
-
sick leave from 6 weeks to 12 months (43 days to 364 days),
-
sick leave of 12 months or more (≥365 days, still unable to work after 31 December 2012).
Results
Study population
Variables | % (n) |
---|---|
Gender | |
Female | 91.8% (1462) |
Male | 8.2% (130) |
Age | |
40 to 44 years | 18.0% (286) |
45 to 49 years | 26.1% (416) |
50 to 54 years | 29.0% (462) |
55 to 59 years | 21.0% (334) |
> 60 years | 5.9% (94) |
Occupational training | |
Qualified nurse or geriatric care worker | 88.4% (1408) |
Nursing assistant without nursing training | 11.6% (184) |
Facility | |
Clinic or hospital | 84.5% (1346) |
Old people’s home, nursing home, facility for the handicapped | 15.5% (246) |
Length of service | |
0–20 years | 9.7% (154) |
21–30 years | 34.9% (555) |
More than 30 years | 55.5% (883) |
Scope of employment | |
Full-time | 55.0% (875) |
Part-time (< 35 h a week) | 45.0% (717) |
Working hours | |
Rotating shifts excluding nights | 30.6% (487) |
Rotating shifts including nights | 45.2% (720) |
Day duty, always at the same times | 17.0% (271) |
Only night work | 7.2% (114) |
Principal activity | |
Nursing work | 36.4% (579) |
Administrative work | 6.3% (100) |
Equal parts of both | 57.3% (913) |
Nurse-WIS | |
No risk (0 points) | 19.7% (313) |
Slight risk (1–9 points) | 7.7% (123) |
Moderate risk (10–19 points) | 33.2% (528) |
High risk (20–28 points) | 39.4% (628) |
Sick leave during the follow-up
For other diseases | Due to a musculo-skeletal disease | Due to a psycho-logical impairment | Due to musculoskeletal disease and/or psychological impairment | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sick leave | % (n) | % (n) | % (n) | % (n) |
No | 54.1% (861) | 72.6% (1155) | 83.7% (1333) | 59.9% (953) |
Yes (at least 1 day) | 45.9% (731) | 27.4% (437) | 16.3% (259) | 40.1% (639) |
Length of sick leave | ||||
Up to 6 weeks (1–42 days) | 34.9% (556) | 21.8% (347) | 11.6% (185) | 29.6% (472) |
> 6 weeks – 12 months (43–364 days) | 10.1% (161) | 4.1% (65) | 3.4% (54) | 7.6% (121) |
> 12 months (≥365 days) | 0.9% (14) | 1.6% (25) | 1.3% (20) | 2.9% (46) |
Association between the nurse-WIS and the duration of sick leave
% (n) | |
---|---|
High risk according to Nurse-WIS | 39.4 (628) |
Long-term sick leave1 | 10.9 (173) |
Sensitivity | 64.1 |
Positive likelihood ratio2 | 1.75 |
Specificity | 63.4 |
Negative likelihood ratio2 | 0.57 |
Positive predictive value (PPV) | 17.0 |
Negative predictive value (NPV) | 93.8 |