title: Productivity and health: best practices for better measures of productivity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Interest in quantifying the relationship between health status and lost productivity has accelerated among employers, researchers, and benefits advisors. Our objective was to engage a dialogue to highlight important productivity measurement issues for consideration in an overall business strategy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Critical review of selected topical literature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four functions of productivity measurement are described: 1) the purposes of a measurement initiative, 2) norms and benchmarking, 3) health and productivity cost estimators, and 4) reporting results. Each function is described in detail; challenges are noted; examples are provided.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This article supports the Integrated Benefits Institute consensus statements on productivity, underscoring the need to develop a conceptual framework of productivity measurement that guides the maturation of instruments and sets forth recommendations for their application consistent with the descriptive, comparative, and evaluative functions that foster health, well-being, and work performance.
authors.affiliation: HealthMedia, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI, USA. sschwartz@healthmedia.com
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Riedel
mesh_terms: D019985:Benchmarking / Q000379:methods; D015897:Comorbidity; D003363:Cost Control; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004526:Efficiency; D017049:Employer Health Costs; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016272:Occupational Health; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis