title: Long-term sickness absence in an NHS teaching hospital.
abstract: This study was carried out to investigate the incidence and causes of long-term sickness absence in an NHS teaching hospital and to explore the role of the Occupational Health Service (OHS) in the management of long-term absence. Examination of attendance records of non-medical staff revealed an annual loss of 20,772 days due to spells of absence lasting 30 calendar days or more, (incidence 0.0528/WTE employees/year, prevalence 5.53 days long-term absence/WTE employee/year). A self-administered questionnaire was sent to 190 staff who had taken long-term absence during the previous 12 months. The response rate was 75%. Musculoskeletal problems and back pain in particular were the main reasons for absence, accounting for 30% of total days lost. Work-related illness made an important contribution with a third of those with musculoskeletal and a quarter of those with mental illness attributing the reason for their absence to work. Many staff reported non-medical factors such as delays in waiting for treatment and anxiety about return to work which prevented them from returning to work sooner. Only a minority of staff had attended OHS and referral was often delayed. OHS may have an important role to play in both prevention and management of long-term absence by early assessment and intervention such as expediting treatment or arranging rehabilitation programmes. However in order to be effective, a clear policy to encourage early and consistent referral is required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, University Medical School, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, UK.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012606:Scotland; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013222:State Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D000078329:Workforce