Related Experiment Videos
Development of a work instability scale for rheumatoid arthritis
Gill Gilworth1, M Anne Chamberlain, Andrew Harvey
1University of Leeds, United Kingdom. gilworths@aol.com
Arthritis and Rheumatism
|June 10, 2003
Summary
This study developed the Work Instability Scale (WIS) to assess work instability in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The WIS identifies individuals at risk of work disability, aiding in employment retention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Occupational Health
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Work instability (WI) poses a significant threat to employment for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
- A mismatch between functional capacity and job demands can lead to job loss if unaddressed.
- There was a need for a validated tool to assess WI in RA.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the concept of work instability in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
- To develop and validate the Work Instability Scale (WIS) for RA patients.
- To create a tool that assesses the risk of work disability.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative interviews were conducted to explore WI in RA.
- Items generated from interviews were used to develop the Work Instability Scale (WIS).
- Rasch analysis and validation against expert vocational assessment were employed.
Main Results:
- A concise, 23-item, self-administered RA WIS was successfully developed.
- The scale demonstrated robust psychometric properties through Rasch analysis.
- Validation confirmed its utility against a gold standard.
Conclusions:
- The developed WIS effectively measures work instability in RA.
- The WIS provides a scoring system with three bands: low, medium, and high risk of work disability.
- This tool can aid in identifying individuals at risk and inform interventions to maintain employment.