Measuring, Analyzing, and Presenting Work Productivity Loss in Randomized Controlled Trials: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Occupational Health
• Clinical Research Methodology

Background:

• Work productivity loss, encompassing absenteeism and presenteeism, significantly impacts economies and healthcare.
• Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are crucial for evaluating interventions, yet their reporting of productivity outcomes varies.
• Standardized measurement and analysis of work productivity loss in RCTs are essential for reliable comparisons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of RCTs examining work productivity loss outcomes.
• To identify how absenteeism, presenteeism, and employment status changes were measured, analyzed, and reported.
• To highlight the diversity in methodologies and the need for standardization.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (January 2010–April 2020).
• Data extraction on study characteristics, work productivity loss outcomes (absenteeism, presenteeism, employment status changes), and measurement/analysis methods.
• Analysis focused on the variety of approaches used in included RCTs.

Main Results:

• 155 studies measured both absenteeism and presenteeism; only 9 included employment status changes.
• The Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire was the most common tool.
• Regression models were frequently used for analysis, often assuming normal distribution; results were presented variably (time for absenteeism, percent for presenteeism).

Conclusions:

• A significant lack of consensus exists in measuring, analyzing, and presenting work productivity loss outcomes in RCTs.
• The heterogeneity in methods challenges the comparability of findings across studies.
• Development of guidelines is recommended to standardize approaches for measuring, analyzing, and reporting work productivity loss in RCTs.