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ISSN 1051-9815 (P)
ISSN 1875-9270 (E)
Impact Factor 2024: 1.7
WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation is an interdisciplinary, international journal which publishes high quality peer-reviewed manuscripts covering the entire scope of the occupation of work. The journal's subtitle has been deliberately laid out: The first goal is the prevention of illness, injury, and disability. When this goal is not achievable, the attention focuses on assessment to design client-centered intervention, rehabilitation, treatment, or controls that use scientific evidence to support best practice.
WORK occasionally publishes thematic issues, but in general, issues cover a wide range of topics such as ergonomic considerations with children, youth and students, the challenges facing an aging workforce, workplace violence, injury management, performing artists, ergonomic product evaluations, and the awareness of the political, cultural, and environmental determinants of health related to work.
Dr. Karen Jacobs, the founding editor, and her editorial board especially encourage the publication of research studies, clinical practice, case study reports, as well as personal narratives and critical reflections of lived work experiences (autoethnographic/autobiographic scholarship),
Sounding Board commentaries and
Speaking of Research articles which provide the foundation for better understanding research to facilitate knowledge dissemination.
Narrative Reflections on Occupational Transitions, a new column, is for persons who have successfully transitioned into, between, or out of occupations to tell their stories in a narrative form. With an internationally renowned editorial board,
WORK maintains high standards in the evaluation and publication of manuscripts. All manuscripts are reviewed expeditiously and published in a timely manner.
WORK prides itself on being an author-friendly journal.
WORK celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2015.
*WORK is affiliated with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT)* *WORK is endorsed by the International Ergonomics Association (IEA)* *WORK gives out the yearly Cheryl Bennett Best Paper Award*
Abstract: This study used surface electromyography (EMG) to examine the percent of maximum voluntary contraction (%M flexors of the wrist/fingers and extensors of the wrist/fingers during Video Display Terminal (VDT) mouse use with the mouse positioned either next to the computer or on a lapdesk. Thirty participants, between the ages of 18 and 40, used a VDT mouse to follow a prescribed pattern for three trials at each location. Although there was a trend towards the lapdesk…location producing lower %M flexors (lapdesk: trapezius M 4.71%, trapezius M 5.74%, for sequence and order found no significant difference between the means. There was no trend for the effects of location for the wrist/finger extensors. These results suggest that changing the position of the mouse may not significantly reduce muscle contractions.
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Abstract: Using insurance data, medically impairing injuries sustained by 111 firefighters were analyzed. The injury incidence per year among full-time working firefighters was 39 per 10 000, and among part-time working firefighters 6 per 10 000. More than half (51%) fitness training, 14% response, while 4% events. Soccer and floorball caused 82% more than half were meniscal or sprain injuries of knees or ankles. None of those injured during emergency response suffered from burn injuries, however during…job training 4 sustained burns. Less injurious fitness training and practice activities could greatly reduce impairing injuries among firefighters and consequently reduce economical losses and disability.
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Keywords: accident, disability, occupational, social and economic consequences
Abstract: The current workers' compensation system does not encourage permanently restricted workers who are disabled due to work related injuries to return to work. Workers are often labeled permanently disabled and are released from their positions with their employers. However, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, these individuals may be qualified to return to productive employment. This paper will describe a Reassignment Model for occupational therapy supported by the rehabilitation frame of reference. This…Model presents reassignment to a vacant position as a reasonable accommodation to return injured workers to productive employment. A case study will illustrate the successful implementation of the model. The potential benefits of using this Model will be described for clients, society, employers, and the occupational therapy profession.
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Keywords: return to work program, injured workers, Americans with Disabilities Act
Abstract: Given the global changes in how work is conceptualized, organized and performed [8], it is critical that graduating occupational therapists have an up-to-date knowledge of work and work practice. This article briefly explores the relative dearth of work practice courses in current occupational therapy curricula and presents the rationale for developing a model for teaching and learning about occupational therapy work practice. It introduces a client-centered and occupation-focused model developed for an undergraduate…work practice course and describes the use of the model in a specific course. The model identifies eight common work-related areas of concern -- values clarification, vocational exploration, vocational choice, job search, starting work, maintaining work, returning to work and leaving work. Occupational Therapy tools, techniques and programs which may be useful in addressing these concerns; and the environmental factors that influence therapist and client in addressing work issues are also part of the model. The article concludes with examples of topics and issues which could be explored using this teaching and learning model.
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Keywords: work practice, education, conceptual models, vocational rehabilitation, client-centered practice
Abstract: By adapting to the changing health care environment, legislative reforms, and consumer needs, work rehabilitation programs have experienced a metamorphosis. This study surveyed occupational therapists currently employed in work programs to ascertain a current demographic profile of work rehabilitation programs. Respondents indicated the delivery of services in the areas of prevention, assessment and rehabilitation. The majority of work rehabilitation programs in this study provide services in the form of ergonomics, education and…training, and job analyses at the worksite. The area of work injury prevention services is forecasted for increased growth among work rehabilitation programs.
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Keywords: work rehabilitation, demographics, prevention, assessment, rehabilitation
Abstract: Functional Capacity Evaluation includes manual materials handling as a primary component. Return to work decisions are often made or influenced by both the heaviest amount of weight that can be safely lifted and the weight that can be handled repetitiously. Kinesiophysical observational criteria were developed to allow trained judges to categorize lifting in order to identify the category of lift effort. Bothinter rater and intrarater reliability were high. When light or heavy categories were isolated for…accuracy there were no errors in judge's ratings.
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Abstract: This paper outlines a narrative description of the inner experience of one man with bipolar affective disorder highlighting his attempts to strive for work while maintaining on-going mental stability. The narrative is based upon a semi-structured interview, review of case notes, psychiatric and psychosocial evaluation. Such narrative accounts may help to develop a better understanding of the complex work related issues for individuals with bipolar disorder and as such, may help generate hypotheses for further research.…This gentleman's experiences are summarised under the following headings: i) personal factors related to employment, ii) employer/job factors and iii) community factors.
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Abstract: A heterogeneous population, with cultural and linguistic differences, could benefit from nonverbal assessment. This was the case with this research population, and in this constellation we felt that for continuity to cognitive evaluation of industrial painters we had to add at least two tests limited mainly to senso-motor aspects of human behavior. Moreover, this practical strategy decreased workers' tension regarding testing circumstances and yielded fewer possibilities for compensating an impaired function by use of…other, unaffected ones. Reaction Time and Finger Tapping were the tests we chose because of their well-circumscribed elemental functional sensitivity to neurotoxic exposures. The research design was cross-sectional. Study population included 31 industrial painters who were exposed at work to organic solvents and 31 unexposed workers. Workers after long term exposure to organic solvents showed significantly higher response rate and decline in Finger Tapping scores in comparison to unexposed workers. The results showed a significant negative correlation between exposure index and number of finger tapping with dominant hand, non dominant hand and altering with both hands indicating that the higher the exposure index was the lower the number of finger tapping. It was also found that the affect of age on Reaction Time and Finger Tapping of dominant hand was significant among workers after long term exposure to organic solvents, whereas for the unexposed workers those basic functions were unaffected.
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Keywords: organic solvents, exposure, finger tapping, senso-motor function
Abstract: {\it Objectives.} This study examines the construct validity of the theory Satisfaction with time-delimited daily occupations (STO). The outcome of STO concerns how individuals perceive their occupational health status and to what degree the individuals experience satisfaction with their performance of time-delimited daily occupations. {\it Design.} The ``known-groups technique'' was used for discriminating the occupational health status among four groups (n = 147) of full-time workers or sick-listed participants. A mailed ActivityLog-sheet was…used for recording their occupational health 24 times during 24 hours. The computerized program ActivityLog was used for data registration. The data analysis were accounted by ANOVA, Tukey's HSD test with significance level of p < 0,05 using the SPSS program. {\it Results.} The occupational health status did not differ significantly among the four groups, but the number of records concerning work (p = 0,00) and care (p = 0,02) time-delimited daily occupations were significantly different. The patterns of occupational health status during the 24-hour-records were visually separated for the four groups. {\it Conclusion.} There is need for refining the STO theory and then for undertaking further investigations of the STO construct validity.
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Keywords: health, occupation, occupational therapy, sick-listed, satisfaction with time-delimited occupations, theory validation
Abstract: This article defines the concept of ideational conflict as it applies to the process of identifying a problem and developing a plan of action for resolving the problem. Then the article examines and illustrates how the ideational conflict that is generated by brainstorming can lead to creative thinking that resolves disparate points of view. The illustration extends the generally accepted view of brainstorming and applies it to identifying a problem related to the university/college work environment.…The problem situation is that of the loss of high ability faculty and sutdents to other institutions.
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Abstract: The effectiveness of job coaching for persons with mental challenges at the Yokohama City Comprehensive Care Continuum is examined through case records. The immediate intervention with the client, as well as improved working conditions through consultation with the company are recognized as crucial for the client's optimum adjustment at the work site. On the other hand, in a case where the client quit the job, we can see that the inadequacy is in the assessment of…the client and of the working conditions. Improved assessments are needed. Using the principle and the strategies of supported employment developed in America, the goal of job coaching at Y.C.C.C. is to form an adequate support system for the client, both at the workplace and in other living and social situation which influence the client in the workplace.
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Abstract: {\it Objectives:} This study examined the validity of hand therapists' self-report of cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) risk factors by comparing the self-report to observations performed by the raters. Inter-rater reliability was also analyzed between the raters who observed the hand therapists. {\it Study Design:} Two raters simultaneously observed each hand therapist during a splinting task at a therapy facility. Following this task, the raters and the hand therapist independently completed an identical…assessment tool. Thirteen therapists were observed and a total of six raters observed the therapists. Responses from two categories of the self-assessment, ``posture'' and ``mechanical stress'', were compared. Percentage of agreement was calculated by dividing the number of like responses by the total number of possible responses for each category. {\it Results:} Overall inter-rater reliability was 72%, significantly above the accepted minimum standard of 60--70%, and validity was 39%, significantly below the accepted minimum. {\it Conclusion:} The high percentage of inter-rater reliability established consistency and accuracy among the raters in their observations. However, the low percentage of validity should prompt hand therapists to investigate the accuracy of a patient's self-report before relying on it for treatment.
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Keywords: validity, inter-rater reliability, self-report, hand therapists, CTD risk factors
