Brown Judith, Mackay Daniel, Demou Evangelia, Craig Joyce, Frank John, Macdonald Ewan B
Institute of Health and Wellbeing, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8RZ, United Kingdom.
Scand J Work Environ Health. 2015 Mar;41(2):204-15. doi: 10.5271/sjweh.3480. Epub 2015 Jan 23.
In May 2008, the National Health Service (NHS) Lanarkshire (NHSL) implemented a unique telephone-based sickness absence management service entitled "EASY" (Early Access to Support for You). The EASY service supplements existing absence policies and enables telephone communication between the absentee, their line manager, and the EASY service from the first day of absence and referral to occupational health services at day ten. The aim of this study was to determine if the EASY service was effective between May 2008 and May 2012 in reducing sickness absence in NHSL compared to normal occupational healthcare in NHS Scotland and is, as such, a cost-saving intervention.
This study included time-series analysis of health board sickness absence data and analyses of the EASY service database (survival analyses and Cox's proportional hazards model).
The EASY service was effective in reducing sickness absence by 21% in NHSL, whereas the nonspecific tightening of the sickness absence policies across the rest of Scottish NHS health boards reduced sickness absence by approximately 9%. The richness of the EASY database gave detailed information on absentees by cause, duration, job family, and reporting compliance. The mean duration of musculoskeletal absences was significantly shorter in years 2, 3, and 4 compared to year 1. Those absentees contacted by phone on the first day of absence were more likely to return to work than those contacted on subsequent days. The EASY service improves economic efficiency; the value of the hours saved from the reduced sickness absence exceeds the cost of operating the service.
The study highlights the importance of an early telephone-based intervention for sickness absence management.
2008年5月，拉纳克郡国民保健服务（NHSL）实施了一项独特的基于电话的病假管理服务，名为“EASY”（Early Access to Support for You，即“为您提供早期支持”）。EASY服务对现有的缺勤政策起到补充作用，使缺勤员工、其直属经理以及EASY服务之间能够在缺勤的第一天就进行电话沟通，并在第十天转介至职业健康服务部门。本研究的目的是确定在2008年5月至2012年5月期间，与苏格兰国民保健服务体系（NHS）的正常职业医疗保健相比，EASY服务在减少NHSL的病假方面是否有效，以及它是否是一种节省成本的干预措施。
本研究包括对健康委员会病假数据的时间序列分析以及对EASY服务数据库的分析（生存分析和考克斯比例风险模型）。
EASY服务在NHSL有效减少了21%的病假，而苏格兰其他NHS健康委员会对病假政策的非特定收紧使病假减少了约9%。EASY数据库的丰富性提供了按病因、时长、工作类别和报告合规情况划分的缺勤员工详细信息。与第1年相比，第2、3和4年肌肉骨骼疾病缺勤的平均时长显著缩短。在缺勤第一天接到电话的员工比在后续几天接到电话的员工更有可能重返工作岗位。EASY服务提高了经济效率；因病假减少而节省的工时价值超过了运营该服务的成本。
该研究突出了基于电话的早期干预对病假管理的重要性。
