Advantages and disadvantages of teleworking in healthcare institutions during COVID-19: A systematic review

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term sickness absences due to mental disorders in public servants: a retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly impacted lives worldwide, influencing the incidence and severity of health problems. This may have affected the occurrence of workers' sickness absences. This study aims to examine the incidence of long-term sickness absences due to mental disorders from 2009 to 2022 and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic (2022).

METHODS

A retrospective observational design was employed. An anonymized record of public servants in City A with long-term sickness absences (≥ 90 days) from 2009 to 2022 was obtained. We defined 2009-2019 as the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period and 2020-2022 as the COVID-19 pandemic period. The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on each disease category, classified using the ICD-10, was analyzed through interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) to evaluate changes in long-term sickness absences incidence before and during the COVID-19 pandemic period and the Cochran‒Armitage test to estimate trends in incidence rates over time.

RESULTS

Mental and behavioural disorders consistently demonstrated the highest incidence rates among all disease categories, with mood disorders being the most prevalent. Trends for all diseases analyzed did not change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, both ITSA and the Cochran‒Armitage test revealed increasing trends for depressive states and adjustment disorders throughout the study period.

CONCLUSIONS

The COVID-19 pandemic did not influence the incidence of long-term sickness absences. However, depressive states and adjustment disorders exhibited an upward trend. This study underscores the need for tailored workplace mental health interventions to tackle the increasing stress-related illnesses, necessitating future research exploring the root causes.

Remote work and long-term sickness absence due to mental disorder trends among Japanese workers pre/post COVID-19

AIMS

The aim of this study was to ascertain whether there has been an increase in the number of workers with long-term sickness absence due to mental disorders (LTSA-MD) and determine the impact of remote work on new LTSA-MD cases.

METHODS

A web-based questionnaire was sent to 2,552 company offices with 150 or more workers in Osaka Prefecture. Data were obtained on the number of workers with LTSA-MD between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020 (fiscal year 2019) and between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021 (fiscal year 2020), along with their MD diagnoses (adjustment disorder [AD], depressive disorder [DEP], etc.). The difference in the number of new LTSA-MD, LTSA-AD, and LTSA-DEP cases between the fiscal years was evaluated, as well as the number of LTSA-MD cases per 100 employees. An independent t-test was used to compare the groups.

RESULTS

DEP was the most prevalent condition, followed by AD. The number of workers with LTSA-MD nominally decreased from fiscal 2019 to fiscal year 2020, with no significant difference. There were no significant differences between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2019 regarding LTSA-MD, LTSA-AD, and LTSA-DEP in offices with and without a remote work model.

CONCLUSIONS

The number of non-public workers with LTSA-MD did not increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, with no significant difference observed between offices with and without a remote work model. This provides preliminary evidence of a potential protective effect of remote work against LTSA-DEP.

Examiner workload comparison: three structured oral examination formats for the European diploma in anaesthesiology and intensive care

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered transformations in academic medicine, rapidly adopting remote teaching and online assessments. Whilst virtual environments show promise in evaluating medical knowledge, their impact on examiner workload is unclear. This study explores examiner's workload during different European Diploma in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Part 2 Structured Oral Examinations formats. We hypothesise that online exams result in lower examiner's workload than traditional face-to-face methods. We also investigate workload structure and its correlation with examiner characteristics and marking performance. In 2023, examiner's workload for three examination formats (face-to-face, hybrid, online) using the NASA TLX instrument was prospectively evaluated. The impact of examiner demographics, candidate scoring agreement, and examination scores on workload was analysed. The overall NASA TLX score from 215 workload measurements in 142 examiners was high at 59.61 ± 14.13. The online examination had a statistically higher workload (61.65 ± 12.84) than hybrid but not face-to-face. Primary contributors to workload were mental and temporal demands, and effort. Online exams were associated with elevated frustration. Male examiners and those spending more time on exam preparation experienced a higher workload. Multiple diploma specialties and familiarity with European Diploma in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care exams were protective against high workload. Perceived workload did not impact marking agreement or examination scores across all formats. Examiners experience high workload. Online exams are not systematically associated with decreased workload, likely due to frustration. Despite workload differences, no impact on examiner's performance or examination scores was found. The hybrid examination mode, combining face-to-face and online, was associated with a minor but statistically significant workload reduction. This hybrid approach may offer a more balanced and efficient examination process while maintaining integrity, cost savings, and increased accessibility for candidates.

Patient Organizations' Digital Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

Patient organizations (POs) play a crucial role in supporting individuals with health conditions. Their activities range from counseling to support groups to advocacy. The COVID-19 pandemic and its related public health measures prompted rapid digital transformation efforts across multiple sectors, including health care.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore how POs digitally responded to pandemic-related circumstances, focusing on aspects such as the technologies used, positive outcomes, and challenges encountered.

METHODS

This scoping review followed the methodological guidance of the JBI (Joanna Briggs Institute) Scoping Review Methodology Group and adhered to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) reporting guidelines. A systematic search of PubMed, the Web of Science Core Collection, and the WHO (World Health Organization) COVID-19 database, supplemented by a citation search approach, was conducted. The initial search was performed on November 10, 2022, and updated on November 8, 2023. Publications were eligible if they were published after November 30, 2019, and addressed pandemic-related digitalization efforts of POs, defined as nonprofit organizations with a focus on health-related support. A 2-step screening process was used to identify relevant literature. Data were extracted using a standardized table to capture aspects such as digital adaptation activities (eg, types of technologies implemented, positive outcomes, challenges, and facilitating factors) and coded inductively to identify similarities across included publications, and the findings were synthesized narratively.

RESULTS

The search and its subsequent update yielded 2212 records, with 13 articles included in this review. These articles revealed a range of PO services that were digitally adapted during the pandemic, with videoconferencing software emerging as the most commonly used tool (n=9 articles). The digital adaptation of group-based support activities was the most frequently reported transformation (n=9). Other adaptations included the digitalization of counseling services (n=3) and the delivery of information and education (n=3), including educational workshops, weekly webinars, and the dissemination of information through digital newsletters. While the use of digital formats, particularly for POs' group activities, often increased accessibility by breaking down preexisting barriers (n=5), they also created new barriers for certain groups, such as those lacking digital skills or resources (n=4). Some participants experienced a loss of interpersonal aspects, like a sense of community (n=3). However, further findings suggest that the digital delivery of such group activities preserved essential interpersonal aspects (n=7) and a preference among some participants to continue digital group activities (n=4), suggesting the potential for sustainability of such options post the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

The rapid digitalization efforts of POs demonstrate their adaptability and the potential of digital technologies to improve support services, despite some challenges. Future digitalization strategies should focus, among other things, on promoting digital literacy to ensure the accessibility and inclusiveness of digital services.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

OSF Registries, https://osf.io/anvf4.

Psychosocial work aspects, work ability, mental health and SARS-CoV-2 infection rates of on-site and remote Brazilian workers during the COVID-19 pandemic - a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, some workers had the opportunity to work from home, while others remained in on-site work. The aim of the present study was to compare the psychosocial work aspects, work ability, mental health conditions and SARS-CoV-2 infection rates of Brazilian workers in remote and on-site work through a longitudinal study with quarterly follow-up assessments over a 12-month period.

METHOD

A convenience sample of 1,211 workers from different economic sectors participated in the study, 897 of whom (74.1%) worked from home and 314 (25.9%) remained in on-site work. Psychosocial work aspects were assessed using the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). Work ability was assessed using the Work Ability Index (WAI) and the Work Ability Score (WAS). Mental health conditions and SARS-CoV-2 infection rate were recorded based on self-reported medical diagnoses. Online questionnaires were answered from June 2020 to September 2021, involving two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. The groups were compared using chi-square tests, t-tests, and two-way ANOVA.

RESULTS

In the first wave of the pandemic, remote workers reported more quantitative demands and work-family conflicts, whereas on-site workers reported more emotional demands, low development of new skills, low commitment, low predictability, low recognition, and low satisfaction. They also reported greater occurrences of unwanted sexual attention, threats of violence, and physical violence. In the second wave, the remote group continued to report high work-family conflicts, whereas the on-site group reported - in addition to the results of the 1st wave - low influence at work, low quality of leadership, and burnout. No significant difference was found between groups with regards to the WAI in either wave. A significant difference was found for the WAS between the 3rd and 12th months (P < 0.01) in both groups. No significant differences were found between groups for the prevalence of anxiety, depression, burnout/stress, insomnia, panic syndrome, and eating disorders, except for the prevalence of insomnia at the 12-month follow-up, with higher rates in the remote group (P = 0.03). SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly lower in the remote group (11.3%) compared to the on- site (16.9%) group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Psychosocial work aspects differed between remote and on-site workers. Work ability and mental health conditions were similar between groups. Remote work might have played a role in limiting the spread of the virus in Brazil had it been more widely available.

How teleworking adoption is changing the labor market and workforce dynamics?

This article investigates how teleworking adoption influenced the labor market and workforce dynamic using bibliometric methods to overview 86 years of teleworking research [1936-2022]. By grouping the retrieved articles available on the Web of Science (WOS) core collection database, we revealed a holistic and topical view of teleworking literature using clustering and visualization techniques. Our results reflect the situation where the adoption of teleworking in the last three years was accelerated by the pandemic and facilitated by innovation in remote work technologies. We discussed the factors influencing one's decision to join the workforce or a specific company, besides the unintended consequences of the rapid adoption of teleworking. The study can aid organizations in developing adequate teleworking arrangements, enhancing employee outcomes, and improving retention rates. Furthermore, it can help policymakers design more effective policies to support employees, improve labor force participation rates, and improve societal well-being.

Telework Arrangements and Physician Burnout in the Veterans Health Administration

This survey study of physicians in the Veterans Health Administration examines the association of burnout with various telework arrangements.