Assessment of Work Ability in People with Musculoskeletal Disorders in Primary Health Care: A Scoping Review of...

Musculoskeletal disorders account for approximately 25% of consultations in primary health care, and sickness absence due to these disorders imposes a substantial economic burden on society. Early identification of workers at risk of sickness absence is crucial; however, there is no consensus on how to identify risk and guide work participation for individuals with musculoskeletal disorders. This scoping review aims to address the research question: Which tools (questionnaires or questions) are used to assess work ability and guide work participation in workers with musculoskeletal disorders, and how do they correspond to the codes in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model?

Through systematic searches on EMBASE, Medline, Pedro, CINAHL and AMED, we identified tools relevant to assessing work ability in primary health care for use in the early phase of sick leave. Items in the questionnaires were mapped into second level ICF codes.

The scoping review included 95 studies from an initial pool of 10,800 articles. The studies covered 25 tools, all except two of which were available in English, and ten were available in a Scandinavian language. The diverse evidence base for work ability assessment tools spans various ICF codes, with most questionnaires including items in the activity and participation domains. Few questionnaires addressed environmental and personal factors.

The evidence base for work ability assessment tools is extensive, with significant variation in tools, linkage to ICF, and psychometric properties. This scoping review supports healthcare personnel selecting tools based on their purpose, time, body area, and dimensions covered, considering the duration of sickness absence and case complexity. Future research should incorporate environmental and personal factors for comprehensive evaluations.