Quantifying the burden of persistent musculoskeletal pain in employees at Rolls-Royce in the United Kingdom: a real-world cross-sectional survey

Lucy Abraham; Rachel Russell; Lidia Sanchez-Roera; Birol Emir; David Roomes; Katy Green; Gavin Taylor-Stokese; Laura Mirams; Hannah Wallis; Kim Burton

doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000002845

Quantifying the burden of persistent musculoskeletal pain in employees at Rolls-Royce in the United Kingdom: a real-world cross-sectional survey

Lucy Abraham, Rachel Russell, Lidia Sanchez-Roera, Birol Emir, David Roomes, Katy Green, Gavin Taylor-Stokese, Laura Mirams, Hannah Wallis, Kim Burton

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Objective:
We aimed to investigate the burden of persistent musculoskeletal (MSK) pain in Rolls-Royce UK employees.
Methods:
Employees with (n=298) and without (n=329) persistent MSK pain completed a cross sectional survey. Weighted regression analyses were conducted to compare sickness
absence, work ability, workplace accommodations/adaptations and emotional well-being between these cohorts, controlling for confounders.
Results:
Persistent MSK pain (particularly back pain) had a significant impact on physical work ability, and was associated with increased sickness absence due to pain. Many employees (56%) had not disclosed their condition to their managers. Of these, 30% felt uncomfortable doing so, and 19% of employees reported insufficient support at work for their pain.
Conclusions:
These findings highlight the importance of creating a workplace culture that encourages the disclosure of work-relevant pain, enabling organisations to consider improved, tailored support for employees.

Original language	English
Journal	Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Early online date	27 Mar 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000002845
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 27 Mar 2023

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Licence: CC BY-NC
Embargo ends: 27/03/24

Cite this

Abraham, L., Russell, R., Sanchez-Roera, L., Emir, B., Roomes, D., Green, K., Taylor-Stokese, G., Mirams, L., Wallis, H., & Burton, K. (2023). Quantifying the burden of persistent musculoskeletal pain in employees at Rolls-Royce in the United Kingdom: a real-world cross-sectional survey. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000002845

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abstract = "Objective:We aimed to investigate the burden of persistent musculoskeletal (MSK) pain in Rolls-Royce UK employees.Methods:Employees with (n=298) and without (n=329) persistent MSK pain completed a cross sectional survey. Weighted regression analyses were conducted to compare sicknessabsence, work ability, workplace accommodations/adaptations and emotional well-being between these cohorts, controlling for confounders.Results:Persistent MSK pain (particularly back pain) had a significant impact on physical work ability, and was associated with increased sickness absence due to pain. Many employees (56%) had not disclosed their condition to their managers. Of these, 30% felt uncomfortable doing so, and 19% of employees reported insufficient support at work for their pain.Conclusions:These findings highlight the importance of creating a workplace culture that encourages the disclosure of work-relevant pain, enabling organisations to consider improved, tailored support for employees.",

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Abraham, L, Russell, R, Sanchez-Roera, L, Emir, B, Roomes, D, Green, K, Taylor-Stokese, G, Mirams, L, Wallis, H & Burton, K 2023, 'Quantifying the burden of persistent musculoskeletal pain in employees at Rolls-Royce in the United Kingdom: a real-world cross-sectional survey', Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000002845

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T1 - Quantifying the burden of persistent musculoskeletal pain in employees at Rolls-Royce in the United Kingdom

T2 - a real-world cross-sectional survey

AU - Abraham, Lucy

AU - Russell, Rachel

AU - Sanchez-Roera, Lidia

AU - Emir, Birol

AU - Roomes, David

AU - Green, Katy

AU - Taylor-Stokese, Gavin

AU - Mirams, Laura

AU - Wallis, Hannah

AU - Burton, Kim

PY - 2023/3/27

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N2 - Objective:We aimed to investigate the burden of persistent musculoskeletal (MSK) pain in Rolls-Royce UK employees.Methods:Employees with (n=298) and without (n=329) persistent MSK pain completed a cross sectional survey. Weighted regression analyses were conducted to compare sicknessabsence, work ability, workplace accommodations/adaptations and emotional well-being between these cohorts, controlling for confounders.Results:Persistent MSK pain (particularly back pain) had a significant impact on physical work ability, and was associated with increased sickness absence due to pain. Many employees (56%) had not disclosed their condition to their managers. Of these, 30% felt uncomfortable doing so, and 19% of employees reported insufficient support at work for their pain.Conclusions:These findings highlight the importance of creating a workplace culture that encourages the disclosure of work-relevant pain, enabling organisations to consider improved, tailored support for employees.

AB - Objective:We aimed to investigate the burden of persistent musculoskeletal (MSK) pain in Rolls-Royce UK employees.Methods:Employees with (n=298) and without (n=329) persistent MSK pain completed a cross sectional survey. Weighted regression analyses were conducted to compare sicknessabsence, work ability, workplace accommodations/adaptations and emotional well-being between these cohorts, controlling for confounders.Results:Persistent MSK pain (particularly back pain) had a significant impact on physical work ability, and was associated with increased sickness absence due to pain. Many employees (56%) had not disclosed their condition to their managers. Of these, 30% felt uncomfortable doing so, and 19% of employees reported insufficient support at work for their pain.Conclusions:These findings highlight the importance of creating a workplace culture that encourages the disclosure of work-relevant pain, enabling organisations to consider improved, tailored support for employees.

KW - Persistent pain

KW - musculoskeletal pain

KW - work ability

KW - workplace accommodations

KW - emotional burden of pain

KW - sickness absence

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DO - 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002845

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JO - Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

JF - Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

SN - 1076-2752

ER -

Quantifying the burden of persistent musculoskeletal pain in employees at Rolls-Royce in the United Kingdom: a real-world cross-sectional survey

Abstract

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