Occupational consequences of osteoarthritis. A scoping review

The objective of this scoping review was to identify the factors that are associated with the negative consequences of OA (hip, knee and hand OA) on employment.

The review included publications in English and French from 2000-2023. The selected articles were required to include an outcome criterion representing a negative effect of OA on employment, such as work loss, sick leave, disability pension (DP), loss of productivity, health at work, and work-life balance.

The outcome criteria were grouped into 7 categories, including work participation, disability pensions (DPs), work loss or early retirement, absenteeism, productivity loss, changes in work, and expected work limitations. Factors associated with the negative consequences of OA can be categorized into characteristics of OA (symptoms, management), personal characteristics (sociodemographic and individual characteristics such as comorbidities, physical activity, representation of the disease, feelings of responsibility in its management), job characteristics (physical demands, night work, working hours, possibilities of adapting to work, and support from colleagues), environments (difficulties associated with transportation, demands of multiple roles in life, lack of information about adaptation possibilities), and adaptation strategies (e.g. changing the way in which tasks are performed, using technical aids, thinking about how to perform each movement, planning activities, receiving help, using cognitive techniques).

Based on the results of this review, we present a framework describing the impact of factors associated with work-related difficulties in patients with OA. These factors will make it possible to develop interventions aimed at helping individuals with OA in maintaining employment.