A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF JOB LOSS PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS FOR PERSONS WITH INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS.

Background: Persons with inflammatory arthritis (IA) have a higher level of absenteeism from work than those without IA and up to 20-30% become permanently work-disabled during the first years after being diagnosed with IA. Despite developments of new pharmacological and surgical treatments, people with IA still report reduced work ability. It is therefore relevant to offer effective interventions designed to prevent job loss and improve work function (i.e. job loss prevention interventions) to support people with IA to stay connected to the labour market. Initial effects of job loss prevention interventions have been established in a Cochrane review by Hoving et al. 2014 (1), but as only three randomized controlled trials (RCT) were identified, it seems relevant to investigate if new evidence has emerged. Objectives: The aim of this study was to present an overview of the evidence of the effect of job loss prevention interventions, which can improve work participation and decrease absenteeism and job loss in persons with IA. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in the databases PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library in two steps: 1) an update of the Cochrane review, restricted to studies published from January 2014 to February 2019 and 2) an additional search with updated keywords with no time restriction. Quality assessment and data extraction were performed independently by two authors. The results were summarized narratively. Results: The first search identified 1276 titles and the second search identified 2384 titles. Six studies (including the three RCT´s included in the Cochrane review (1)) were included. The results indicated that job loss prevention interventions may have effect on work ability, absenteeism and in particular job loss, but the results across study outcomes, were not consistent. This may be due to heterogeneity in the interventions delivered (i.e. dose, duration and setting) and outcome measures used. Most of the studies were of low quality. Therefore, the results should be interpreted with caution. Conclusion: Job loss prevention interventions may have an effect on work ability, absenteeism and in particular job loss among persons with IA. Further studies of high quality regarding job loss prevention interventions for people with IA are recommended. REFERENCES: [1] Hoving, J.L. et al. 2014, “Non-pharmacological interventions for preventing job loss in workers with inflammatory arthritis”, The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, vol. 11;2014;, no. 11, pp. CD010208. Disclosure of Interests: Christina Merete Tvede Madsen: None declared, Sara Kjaer: None declared, Jette Primdahl Speakers bureau: BMS and Pfizer, Jeanette Reffstrup Christensen: None declared, Cecilie von Bülow: None declared Citation: Ann Rheum Dis, volume 79, supplement 1, year 2020, page 912Session: HPR Interventions (educational, physical, social and psychological) (Poster Presentations)