Introduction:

People with inflammatory arthritis commonly have to stop working because of the limitations imposed by their disease. This has a tremendous impact on their quality of life, and financially for themselves, their families and society. Arthritis and musculoskeletal problems are the most common reason why people have to stop working in Canada, with an estimated cost of $13.6 Billion per year (EBIC 1998 Economic Burden of Illnesses in Canada). This research takes action to deal with this important problem.

Project Methodology:

We are developing and pilot testing a program aimed at preventing work disability and at helping people with arthritis deal with the difficulties they encounter at work. This project builds on previous research where we surveyed people with Rheumatoid Arthritis across BC to identify the risk factors for work disability. This information, along with the information obtained from people with arthritis who participated in focus groups and talked to us about the problems they encounter at work and what they find helpful, was instrumental in developing the content of the program. The program consists of group education sessions, supplemented by take-home self-learning material, and individual visits with health professionals to help remain employed. The concept of the education sessions is based on the principles of self-management, as used in the well known Arthritis Self-Management Program (ASMP), but with a very different and specific focus on the problems people encounter at work.

Participant Recruitment:

Once the program is developed we will be pilot testing (running the program with a small number of people with inflammatory arthritis) beginning in September 2004 to seek additional feedback. Once finalized, we will test how effective the program is at preventing work disability and at helping people with arthritis in the workplace, in a randomized trial with a large number of people.

Relevance For People With Arthritis:

To date, most research in the field of work disability in arthritis has been descriptive, documenting the extent of the problem and helping to understand what influences the risk of work disability. By developing and testing an intervention aimed at preventing work loss from inflammatory arthritis, this research takes action to deal with an important and costly problem that is not otherwise adequately addressed. The potential impact for this intervention is tremendous given the magnitude of the problem.

Consumer Involvement:

Consumers have been involved at all stages of program development and delivery. Focus groups of people with inflammatory arthritis from various work settings have helped to identify consumer needs and priorities. In addition to their input, consumers from the Consumer Advisory Board of ARC have reviewed program materials as they were developed. The research team also includes consumer advocate, Cheryl Koehn.

Time Frame:

2001 - 2004.

Funding Agency:

This project has been funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research and The Arthritis Society of Canada.

Publications / Presentations

1. Oral presentation at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, Orlando, Oct 2003.
2. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Canadian Rheumatology Association, Lake Louise, Feb 2004
3. Lacaille D, White M, Gignac MAM, Pratt DD, Backman C, Esdaile JM. Work loss from inflammatory arthritis (IA): New insights gained from understanding the patient's perspective. Arthritis Rheum 2003;48(Suppl):S245

Team Members

Principal Investigator

Diane Lacaille   MD, MSC, FRCPC
Research Scientist, ARC

Co-Investigators

John M. Esdaile  MD, MPH
Scientific Director, ARC

Catherine Backman PhD, OT(C)
Research Scientist, ARC

Monique Gignac  PhD
Research Scientist, University Health Network,
University of Toronto

Daniel Pratt, PhD Associate Professor,
Department of Educational Studies
University of British Columbia

Collaborators

Consumer Advisory Board
ARC

Cheryl Koehn
President Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE)

Matt Liang  MD, MPH
Harold Robinson Chair in Rehabilitation Sciences Professor, Harvard School of Medicine
Harvard School of Public Health

Andrew Chalmers  MD, FRCPC
Research Scientist, ARC
Professor, University of British Columbia

Janet Finlayson  MA
Vocational Rehabilitation Counsellor GF Strong and Mary Pack Arthritis Centre

Research Associate
Margaret White

Study Coordinator
Pam Rogers  MA
Research Coordinator, ARC