Effects of an ergonomic program on the quality of life and work performance of university staff with physical disabilities: A clinical trial with three-month follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Problems related to physical disability may have an extremely negative impact in the work environment, reducing productivity and contributing to health problems and a worsening quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of an ergonomic intervention program on the quality of life and the work performance of people with physical disabilities working in a university environment. METHODS: A pilot clinical trial with three-month follow-up was conducted at the Physiotherapy Clinic of the Federal University of Paraíba (Brazil). Eight workers at the university took part in an ergonomic adjustment (using ErgoDis/IBV software) and physiotherapy program at their workplace for twelve weeks, in two 60-min sessions per week. The measuring instruments used were the WHOQoL-BREF questionnaire for quality of life and the Work Ability Index for work ability. A repeated-measures ANOVA analysis and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were also performed. RESULTS: Significant intra-group changes were observed in the QoL subscales for the physical dimension (F = 5.487, p = 0.017) and the environment dimension (F = 7.510, p = 0.006). The post-treatment analysis revealed significant changes for both the physical dimension (Z = -2.552, p = 0.011) and the environment dimension (Z = -2.201, p = 0.028). After the three-month follow-up period, only the environment dimension recorded a significant change (Z = -1.965, p = 0.049). The effect sizes were large. Regarding work ability, the repeated-measures ANOVA analysis showed a significant time effect (F = 5.067, p = 0.022), with large pre-post treatment improvement (Z = -2.555, p = 0.011, d = 0.914). CONCLUSIONS: The program based on ergonomic and physiotherapy program greatly enhanced the subjects' quality of life and work ability.

Effectiveness of two home ergonomic programs in reducing pain and enhancing quality of life in informal caregivers of post-stroke patients: A pilot randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Informal caregivers of post-stroke patients usually undergo high levels of pain and stress and have a reduced quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of two home ergonomic interventions aimed at reducing pain intensity and perceived stress and enhancing the quality of life in informal caregivers of chronic post-stroke patients. METHODS: A randomized single-blind controlled clinical trial was conducted, with a sample of 33 informal caregivers of patients with stroke. Three groups were included: one received postural hygiene training and kinesiotherapy, for 12 weeks, two days a week, one hour per session; another received adaptation of the home environment, and the third was a control group. Pain intensity, stress level and general quality of life were evaluated at three-time points: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and after a follow-up period of three months. RESULTS: Neck pain decreased in the two experimental groups, and increased in the control group. Pain in the shoulders and knees was alleviated in the group that received postural hygiene and kinesiotherapy. In addition, regarding quality of life, this group obtained an improvement in the physical health dimension, while the home adaptation group reported improved social relationships. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that 12 weeks of training in postural hygiene, combined with kinesiotherapy, and home adaptations can reduce pain and improve several aspects of the quality of life of this population. CLINICALTRIALS. GOV ID: NCT03284580.

Influência da fadiga ocupacional na capacidade para o trabalho de professores universitários / Influence of occupational fatigue in the work ability of professors

RESUMO O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a influência da fadiga ocupacio nal na capacidade para o trabalho de professores do Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde de uma Instituição de Ensino Superior (IES) pública do Brasil. Trata-se de um estudo transversal descritivo, de abordagem quantitativa, realizado com 89 professores universitá rios da cidade de Campina Grande/PB. Foi utilizado um Questionário de Características Sociodemográficas e Laborais, o Questionário de Índice de Capacidade para o Trabalho (ICT) e o Questionário de Fadiga de Yoshitake (QFY). Os resultados evidenciam que a maior parte da amostra (70,9%) apresentava boa capacidade para o trabalho e um moderado nível referido de fadiga, sendo esta de ordem mental. De acordo com a análise inferencial foi visto que à medida que aumenta a presença da fadiga, diminui-se a capacidade para o traba lho (r=-0,48; p<0,0001). Além disso, foi encontrada associação entre o sexo (p= 0,004) e a presença de problemas para dormir (p=0,000) com a ocorrência de fadiga ocupacional.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to verify the influence of occupational fatigue in work ability of professors of the Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde from a Higher Education Public Institution (HEPI) of Brazil. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, carried out with 89 university teachers of Campina Grande/PB. It was used a Sociodemographic Characteristics and Employment questionnaire, Work Ability Index Questionnarie and Fatigue Questionnaire. Results shows that the majority of the sample (70,9%) had good work ability and a moderate level of fatigue, which is mental. According to the inferencial analysis, as the presence of fatigue increases, the work ability decreases (r=-0,48; p<0,0001). In addition, it was found association between sex (p= 0.004) and the presence of sleep problems (p= 0.000) with the occur rence of occupational fatigue.