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Occupational Medicine Advance Access originally published online on July 30, 2008
Occupational Medicine 2008 58(7):475-479; doi:10.1093/occmed/kqn091
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Work ability in sick-listed patients with major depressive disorder

Frans G. Slebus, P. Paul F. M. Kuijer, J. (Han) H. B. M. Willems, Monique H. W. Frings-Dresen and Judith K. Sluiter

Coronel Institute of Occupational Health, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 22700, 1100 DE Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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.

Aim 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.

Conclusion 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.

Keywords      Instrument; major depressive disorder; work disability; work ability evaluation

Correspondence to: Frans G. Slebus, Coronel Institute of Occupational Health, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 22700, 1100 DE Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 20 566 5339; fax: +31 20 697 7161; e-mail: f.g.slebus{at}amc.uva.nl


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