08.02.10 by Work Screen
In a 12-month longitudinal design, the psychometric properties (reliability, validity, and responsiveness) of 5 self-reported measures of at-work productivity were compared in workers with either rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA). We tested the Workplace Activity Limitations Scale (WALS), 6-item Stanford Presenteeism Scale (SPS-6), Endicott Work Productivity Scale (EWPS), RA Work Instability Scale (WIS), and Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ).
The researchers found that no single scale was clearly superior, although the current results favor the RA WIS and WALS based on strong comparative performance against the other measures. Both are, incidentally, the only scales among the 5 that were originally developed for persons with arthritis. They suggest that direct users of these scales should consider 3 key things: 1) the target concept, be it difficulties with work tasks, risk of work disability, or loss of productivity, with considerations for its relevance to the specific diseases or occupations of interest; 2) the purpose of the intended application, being that the scales appeared to vary in responsiveness depending on the specific direction of change (i.e., measuring deterioration or improvement); and 3) our current study focused on worker productivity as an outcome measure. Read full report.
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