The Employee Absenteeism Costs of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Issue 6 (June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gunnarsson, Candace; Chen, Jie; Rizzo, John A.; Ladapo, Joseph A.; Naim, Ahmad; Lofland, Jennifer H.
• Is Part Of: Journal of occupational and environmental medicine. Volume 57:Issue 6(2015)
• Publication Date: 2015-06
• Subjects: Medicine, Industrial -- Periodicals; Environmental health -- Periodicals; Occupational Medicine -- Periodicals; Environmental Medicine -- Periodicals; Environmental health; Medicine, Industrial; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.9803
• DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000461
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1076-2752

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec> <title>Objective:</title> <p>To estimate indirect costs associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Methods:</title> <p>This was a retrospective study using 1996–2006 US Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data. Employed individuals were aged 18 to 65 years. A two-part model estimated the probability of time lost from work and annual number of workdays missed due to illness.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Results:</title> <p>Sixty-seven percent (209/312) of RA individuals missed work versus 58% (52, 046/89, 734) of those without RA (<italic>P</italic> = 0.0007). Among individuals who missed work, those with RA missed more workdays annually than those without RA (</p> <p> <inline-formula content-type="MATH" id="M1-5"> <inline-graphic xlink:href="ark:/27927/pgjrpvjwd2" xlink:type="simple" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" /> </inline-formula> </p> <p>= 13.659, 9.879, respectively; <italic>P</italic> = 0.008). Incremental per capita costs in annual lost workdays between those with and without RA were $596. Estimated national indirect costs of RA-related absenteeism were $252 million annually.</p> </sec> <sec> <title>Conclusions:</title> <p>Individuals with RA have higher probabilities of missing work and missing workdays than those without RA.</p> </sec> </abstract>