Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2025

The Emotional Stroop Task: Assessing Cognitive Performance under Exposure to Emotional Content
Published on: June 29, 2016
Relationship between emotional words in electronic medical records and leave periods of users of a return-to-work
Ichiro Kutsuna1,2, Aiko Hoshino1,2, Ami Morisugi2
1Department of Health Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
Introduction:
We attempted to score data extracted from written medical records containing assessment results using natural language processing, and to clarify the relationship between duration of sick leave and the use of emotional words among return-to-work (RTW) program users on sick leave due to mental health problems.
Method:
Participants were users of an RTW program. We extracted textual data from their electronic medical records, and gave all words a score based on the following two considerations: positivity score (the degree of positive emotion a word has) and emotion score with respect to seven emotions (sadness, anxiety, anger, disgust, trust, surprise, and joy), with the score for each emotion measured for each word. We analyzed relationships between duration of sick leave and each score.
Results:
Forty-two users participated. The results showed that high positive scores (β = -0.42, p < 0.00) and high sadness scores (β = -0.60, p < 0.00) were related to a shorter duration of sick leave, and high anger score (β = 0.52, p < 0.00) was related to a longer duration of sick leave.
Conclusion:
Professional assessments based on occupational therapy and natural language processing of medical records may predict the appropriate timing of RTW.
Related Concept Videos
Methods of Documentation VII: EMR
Depressive Disorders: MDD and Dysthymia
Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...
Depression: Overview
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Electroconvulsive Therapy

