title: Work ability in sick-listed patients with major depressive disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Major depressive disorder (MDD) is often a chronic relapsing disease resulting in work disability. For evaluation purposes a practical set of aspects of work ability would be helpful.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify the most important disease-specific aspects of work ability for sick-listed employees with MDD.
  
  
  METHODS
  An expert brainstorming session identified the specific abilities that were thought to be associated with work ability in sick-listed employees with MDD and that could also be associated with the items of the Hamilton Rating scale for Depression. Sixty-four insurance physicians (IPs) were then selected to participate in a two-round Delphi study. The aim of the first Delphi round was to identify the abilities that were thought to be important by at least 80% of the IPs. In the second Delphi round, the abilities ranked in the top 10 by at least 55% of the IPs were identified as being the most important items.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-one IPs participated in the two Delphi rounds. The most important abilities to be evaluated in work ability evaluation for sick-listed employees with MDD were to take notice, to sustain attention, to focus attention, to complete operations, to think in a goal-directed manner, to remember, to perform routine operations, to undertake structured work activities, to recall and to perform autonomously.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to 55% of the IPs, there were 10 important aspects of work ability that have to be considered in a work ability evaluation of sick-listed employees with MDD.
authors.affiliation: Coronel Institute of Occupational Health, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 22700, 1100 DE Amsterdam, The Netherlands. f.g.slebus@amc.uva.nl
authors.forename: Frans G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Slebus
authors.forename: P Paul F M
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Kuijer
authors.forename: J Han H B M
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.forename: Monique H W
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Frings-Dresen
authors.forename: Judith K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Sluiter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003697:Delphi Technique; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation