Objectives: This study investigates the associations between recommended outcome measures for clinical pain trials, as outlined by The Initiative on Methods, Measurements and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT), and work ability among individuals with non-specific musculoskeletal disorders. Specifically, it examines how general health, physical and mental health, pain intensity, functional limitations, depression, and sleep quality relate to work ability in people with musculoskeletal disorders undergoing multimodal rehabilitation.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 116 participants were recruited from eight rehabilitation teams and two specialist care centers in central Sweden. The Work Ability Index (WAI), Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), Multidimensional Pain Inventory - Swedish version (MPI-S), and Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale - Self-report (MADRS-S) were utilized to measure relevant constructs. Pearson correlations were calculated, followed by multiple linear regression analyses to assess the impact of the independent variables on work ability.

Results: Significant positive correlations were found between work ability and general health (r=0.346; p=0.001) and physical health (r=0.533, p=<0.001), while negative correlations were found with pain intensity (r=-0.423; p=<0.001), limitations in daily life (r=-0.536; p=<0.001), depression (r=-0.500; p=<0.001), and sleep quality (r=-0.431; p=<0.001). Taken together, the multiple linear regression analysis showed that limitations in daily life and depression were significantly associated with work ability, explaining a combined variance of 46.1 %.

Conclusions: This study emphasizes the importance of addressing mental health and daily functioning limitations in rehabilitation programs to enhance work ability among participants with musculoskeletal disorders. Tailored interventions targeting these areas could improve rehabilitation outcomes and support workforce participation in this population. Approved by the regional ethical review board of Uppsala (Dnr 2010/116).

Technological and societal developments have increasingly led to higher education programs and courses being offered online as distance education. This can mean an opportunity to study regardless of time and place and thereby combining work, family life, and studies. However, online distance studies also introduce problems at the societal, organisational and individual levels. Due to the rapid transformation of the higher education system towards a larger share of digitalized courses and programs, one can expect that the related problems will also increase. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate experiences and thoughts about challenges and opportunities related to online studies among second-semester master’s students. Data was collected via interviews and analysed using a phenomenographic approach. The analysis revealed increased demands on the student, remote communication and social interaction, and varying conditions for studying from home. The demands on self-leadership, social skills, and digital competence had increased compared to previous campus-based studies at a lower level. These findings pinpoint the importance of taking into consideration student awareness and support regarding self-regulation of study planning, time allocation, and execution of assignments. It also includes teacher awareness of creating a sense of community and avoiding a mere task orientation despite the online context.

Introduction: Telework is increasing in working life, especially in knowledge intense organizations as academic institutions. Managers are found crucial for performance and wellbeing outcomes in telework, but managers' perspective on leading teleworkers lacks attention.

Methods: This study aimed to investigate academic managers' experiences of leading teleworkers prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their expectations for future leadership in telework. A qualitative study based on interviews with 16 academic middle managers was performed. Findings were analyzed inductively by a phenomenographic research approach.

Findings: The findings show that leading teleworkers was characterized by demands posed by remote and digital communication; regulation and policies; occupational health and safety management; and new norms for leadership.

Discussion: In conclusion, academic institutions need to improve organizational resources for managers' leading teleworkers to facilitate successful leadership and to secure sustainable work conditions for managers as well as for teleworking employees.

This study investigates experiences of temporary work among care personnel in eldercare. Semi-structured interviews were performed with fifteen temporarily employed care personnel in municipal nursing homes or home care and analysedusing phenomenography. The informants’ experiences of having temporary employment were characterised by either a sense of flexibility or, more commonly,uncertainty, lack of control over life, time and economic situation, as well as difficulties associated with always being available. The informants’ experiences of working as temporary employees were characterised by the enjoyment of work and job satisfaction, differing experiences regarding the division of work and communication, but also being in an exposed position. The results reflect an experience of being in avulnerable position. Taking these results into consideration in developing interventions to enhance the working conditions for temporarily employed might as a secondary result decrease the turnover and increase the continuity of the care for the elder.

Objectives

To investigate which demographic and clinical factors were associated with psychological wellbeing in working-aged people in multimodal rehabilitation for musculoskeletal disorders.

Methods

116 participants met the criteria for inclusion: persistent or intermittent pain for at least three months; pain that adversely impacts daily life; potential for active change despite pain; no co-morbidity or condition that will hinder participation in the rehabilitation program. Primary outcome was psychological wellbeing and independent measures were general, physical and mental health, pain intensity, limitations in daily life, depression and sleep.

Results

The results show decreased odds of psychological wellbeing for persons rating high on depression. The results remained significant after adjusting for sex and age. Being a woman increased the odds of high psychological wellbeing. Logistic regression showed that psychological wellbeing was not significantly associated with pain intensity; sleep; functional limitations; general, physical, or mental health. None of the other independent variables was significantly associated with high vs. low psychological wellbeing.

Conclusions

Depression turned out to be significantly related to psychological wellbeing, contrary to pain and limitations in daily life. If further studies with larger, random samples can confirm these results, this knowledge may be important both in clinical settings and in future research.

Introduction: A systematic review is conducted in the study to investigate the relationship between telework and organizational economic performance indicators such as self-reported employee performance, organizational performance, actual employee turnover rates, or intentions.

Methods: The databases Scopus, Business Source Premier, and Web of Science were used to conduct a literature search. Original articles published from 2000 and up to May 2021 were selected. Studies were screened for inclusion independently by review pairs and data were extracted. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to evaluate the quality of the studies included.

Results: Forty-three studies were included with some addressing multiple outcomes. Self-reported performance was higher for teleworking employees compared to those working in the ordinary workplace. The extent of the change in performance was dependent on individual characteristics and the extent of the teleworking practice in the organization. Telework was also associated with increased organizational performance, particularly in homogenous samples with unique work tasks. When telework is voluntary, it appears that both actual employee turnover rates and intentions to leave the organization are lower.

Discussion: Further research with high-quality prospective designs is necessary to properly understand the contribution of telework to organizational economic performance indicators.

Purpose

The aim was to investigate how structured assessment of physical function can be performed in people with musculoskeletal disorders in arm-shoulder-hand. Specifically, we aimed to determine:

- Which questionnaires are available for structured assessment of physical function in people with musculoskeletal disorders in arm-shoulder-hand?

- What aspects of physical function do those questionnaires measure?

- What are the psychometric properties of the questionnaires?

Materials and methods

By means of a systematic review, questionnaires and psychometric tests of those were identified. ICF was used to categorise the content of the questionnaires, and COSMIN checklist was used to assess the psychometric evaluations.

Results

Nine questionnaires were identified. Most items focused on activities rather than function. Commonly, a couple of psychometric measurements had been tested, most often reported being adequate. Only one questionnaire had been tested for all aspects.  Variation in scope and insufficient reports regarding validity and reliability, makes comparisons and decision on use difficult both in clinical practice and for research purposes.

Conclusions

The level of psychometric evaluation differs, and often only few aspects of validity and reliability have been tested. The questionnaires address activity issues to a higher extent than function.

An increasing number of academic institutions offer their staff the option to work from other places than the conventional office, i.e., telework. Academic teaching and research staff are recognized as some of the most frequent teleworkers, and this seems to affect their well-being, work performance, and recovery in different ways. This study aimed to investigate academics’ experiences and perceptions of telework within the academic context. For this, we interviewed 26 academics from different Swedish universities. Interviews were analyzed with a phenomenographic approach, which showed that telework was perceived as a natural part of academic work and a necessary resource for coping with, and recovering from, high work demands. Telework was mostly self-regulated but the opportunity could be determined by work tasks, professional culture, and management. Telework could facilitate the individual’s work but could contribute to challenges for the workgroup. Formal regulations of telework were considered a threat to academics’ work autonomy and to their possibility to cope with the high work demands. The findings provide insight into academics’ working conditions during teleworking, which may be important for maintaining a sustainable work environment when academic institutions offer telework options.

The aim of this study was to determine if psychophysiological activity, postures and movements differ during telework (i.e., work performed at home) and work performed at the conventional office. We performed twenty-four-hour pulse recordings and accelerometry measurements on 23 academic teaching and research staff during five consecutive workdays, with at least one day of telework. Additionally, we conducted salivary sampling during one day of telework, and one day of office work. Heart rate and heart rate variability indices, postural exposure and cortisol concentration were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance with Workplace and Time (i.e., before, during and after workhours) as within-subject effects. We found a significant interaction effect of Workplace and Time in heart rate variability indices and in the number of transitions between seated and standing postures. This shows more parasympathetic activity among academic teleworkers during telework than office work, which may indicate more relaxation during telework. They had an overall sedentary behavior at both workplaces but switched between sitting and standing more often during telework, which may be beneficial for their health.

As the development of technical aids for telework has progressed, work has become more flexible in time and space. Among academics, the opportunity to telework has been embraced by most, but it is unclear how it relates to their health and well-being. The aim of this study was to determine how frequency and amount of telework is associated with perceived health, stress, recuperation, work-life balance, and intrinsic work motivation among teaching and research academics. An electronic questionnaire was sent to junior lecturers, senior lecturers, and professors at Swedish public universities. It included the General Health Questionnaire, Work Stress Questionnaire, items for assessing recuperation, the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction at Work scale, and parts of Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire, as well as questions about the frequency and amount of telework performed. In total, 392 academics responded to the survey. Multivariate analysis of variance showed significant differences between groups of academics with different telework frequency (p < 0.05). Univariate analyses of variance showed that ratings of stress related to indistinct organization and conflicts were higher among academics that telework several times per week or more than among academics that telework less than once per month. In regression analyses of associations between amount of telework (in hours per week) and the dependent variables, no significant effects were found. Although it cannot be concluded whether stress is a cause or an effect of frequent telework, the findings warrant further attention to academics who telework frequently.