Department of Special Education, University of Thessaly, Argonafton-Filellinon Str., 38221 Volos, Greece.
Neurology, Public Health and Disability Unit, Foundation IRCCS Neurological Institute "Carlo Besta", Via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Mar 11;15(3):493. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15030493.
The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases among the European working age population, as well as the implications for the individual and societal level, underline the need for policy guidelines targeting the effective inclusion of persons with chronic diseases in the workplace. The aim of the present paper was to explore the perspectives of European and National-level stakeholders on existing strategies for work re-integration of persons with chronic diseases, and to provide policy guidelines. A highly-structured interview protocol was distributed to 58 National level stakeholders (policy makers, professionals and employers) from seven European countries. Additionally, 20 European organizations concerned with health-related issues and employment completed an online survey. The findings reveal that employment-related challenges remain largely unaddressed. Both national and European stakeholders considered the existing legislative frameworks inadequate and appraised the co-ordination for the implementation of employment re-integration policies as ineffective. Policies targeting at work re-integration of persons with chronic diseases at European and national level should focus on consistent cooperation among all key stakeholders, awareness raising to staff and management, dissemination of effective strategies, developing research and evaluation standards and establishing monitoring systems on inclusive labour markets.
慢性病在欧洲劳动年龄人群中的发病率不断上升,以及对个人和社会层面的影响,都凸显了制定政策指南的必要性,以确保将慢性病患者有效纳入工作场所。本文旨在探讨欧洲和国家层面利益相关者对慢性病患者重返工作岗位现有策略的看法,并提供政策指导。一个高度结构化的访谈方案分发给来自七个欧洲国家的 58 名国家层面利益相关者(政策制定者、专业人员和雇主)。此外,有 20 家与健康相关问题和就业有关的欧洲组织完成了在线调查。研究结果表明,与就业相关的挑战在很大程度上仍未得到解决。国家和欧洲利益相关者都认为现有的立法框架不够充分,并认为实施就业再融入政策的协调工作效率低下。针对慢性病患者重返工作岗位的欧洲和国家政策应侧重于所有主要利益相关者之间的持续合作、提高员工和管理层的认识、传播有效的策略、制定研究和评估标准以及建立包容性劳动力市场的监测系统。