title: The impact and burden of chronic pain in the workplace: a qualitative systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic pain (CP) poses a diverse and substantial burden for employees, employers, and society. The deleterious consequences of CP in the workplace are frequently underestimated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the burden of CP in the European workplace.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic review following PRISMA statement guidelines was conducted to identify studies reporting work-related outcomes for people with CP. EMBASE, MEDLINE, EconLit, and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to 18th August 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 91 observational studies. Few were specifically designed to investigate the association between CP, productivity, and employment. The focus for this review was studies clearly reporting outcomes relating to the burden of CP on employment status (n = 37), sickness absence (absenteeism, n = 47), and loss of productivity because of reduced ability at work (presenteeism, n = 8).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The body of evidence identified from the systematic review indicates that CP has a substantial negative impact on work-related outcomes, supporting the importance of interventions to reduce the burden of CP. Well-designed prospective studies specifically assessing the direct consequences of CP on employment are needed to confirm these findings.
authors.affiliation: Abacus International, Bicester, Oxfordshire, UK. ajay.patel@abacusint.com
authors.forename: Ajay S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Farquharson
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Ceri J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Rod S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Jodie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barden
mesh_terms: D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004651:Employment / Q000191:economics*; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D018582:Sick Leave; D017132:Workplace / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology