Busch Dorothee Ann-Kathrin, Methner Nicole, Azodanlou Delara, Moelleken Maurice, Dissemond Joachim, Hübner Ursula Hertha, Przysucha Mareike, Kücking Florian, Berking Carola, Erfurt-Berge Cornelia
Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Health Informatics Research Group, Osnabrück University of AS, Osnabrück, Germany.
Int Wound J. 2025 Apr;22(4):e70372. doi: 10.1111/iwj.70372.
Chronic wounds can impact the quality of life of working-age individuals. However, the specific challenges and burdens these patients face in the workplace remain understudied. This study aimed to 1) investigate how chronic wounds affect work life and 2) develop a screening tool for identifying highly affected patients. In total, 51 patients with chronic wounds answered a questionnaire on demographics, employment status, wound-related limitations, workplace conditions, social welfare use and subjective burden of disease. To assess the subjective burden, we developed a specific research tool on employment and chronic wounds (REACH Score) to measure and quantify the impact of the chronic wound on working patients. The patients, who answered the questionnaire, were employed (78%), on sick leave (18%) or retired (4%). They spent an average of 5.3 h per week on wound-related activities. Regarding workplace stressors, we found that taking breaks when needed was correlated with less time off sick and better work-related quality of life. Patients reported career concerns and reduced productivity. The REACH score was significantly correlated with sick leave, work difficulties, time consumed by the wound and overall quality of life. According to our pilot-study, the impact of chronic wounds on patients of working age is most evident in the form of sick leave and reduced work performance and in a reduced quality of life. It is crucial to identify the key factors contributing to stress in the work environment in a larger sample in order to improve the working conditions of patients and detrimental socioeconomic effects on the workforce. The REACH score is a novel tool to screen employed patients with chronic wounds for reduced work capacity and quality of life.
慢性伤口会影响工作年龄人群的生活质量。然而，这些患者在工作场所面临的具体挑战和负担仍未得到充分研究。本研究旨在：1）调查慢性伤口如何影响工作生活；2）开发一种筛查工具，以识别受影响严重的患者。共有51名慢性伤口患者回答了一份关于人口统计学、就业状况、伤口相关限制、工作场所条件、社会福利使用情况和疾病主观负担的问卷。为了评估主观负担，我们开发了一种关于就业和慢性伤口的特定研究工具（REACH评分），以测量和量化慢性伤口对在职患者的影响。回答问卷的患者中，有78%为在职，18%在休病假，4%已退休。他们平均每周花5.3小时进行与伤口相关的活动。关于工作场所压力源，我们发现按需休息与更少的病假时间和更好的工作相关生活质量相关。患者报告了职业担忧和生产力下降。REACH评分与病假、工作困难、伤口消耗的时间和总体生活质量显著相关。根据我们的初步研究，慢性伤口对工作年龄患者的影响最明显表现为病假、工作表现下降和生活质量降低。为了改善患者的工作条件以及对劳动力的有害社会经济影响，在更大的样本中确定导致工作环境压力的关键因素至关重要。REACH评分是一种新颖的工具，用于筛查患有慢性伤口的在职患者工作能力和生活质量的下降情况。
