2014, Article / Letter to editor (Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, vol. 24, iss. 1, (2014), pp. 52-67)Introduction A qualitative study was carried out to understand how people with a slow progressive adult type neuromuscular disease (NMD) perceive employment participation. Methods 16 paid employed persons with NMD were interviewed in open, in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed using the constant comparison method. Results Four themes were identified in the analyses: (1) Experiences regarding the meaning of work; (2) Solving problems oneself; (3) Reaching a turning point; and (4) Taking into account environmental aspects. Persons with NMD highlighted benefits of staying at work as well as the tension they felt how to shape decisions to handle progressive physical hindrances in job retention. This study shows how participants at work with NMD were challenged to keep up appearances at work and at home, the tension felt around when and if to disclose, the effect of their condition on colleagues and work reorganization challenges. Participants experienced that disclosure did not always make things better. With increasing disability participants’ focus shifted from the importance of assistive products towards considerate colleague, in particular superior’s willingness in supporting job retention.
2012, Article / Letter to editor (Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, vol. 93, iss. 12, (2012), pp. 2276-2280)To explore consultation reports for patient and employment characteristics and recommendations on employment regarding patients with neuromuscular diseases (NMDs). Eighty percent of the included consultation reports contained information on employment. Less than half the patients with NMD were employed, most in office-related jobs, using some kind of adaptations. Nineteen of 20 patients who agreed to recommendations regarding therapy were adequately referred by occupational therapists and physical therapists for treatment of employment problems.
2012, Article / Letter to editor (Wetenschappelijk Tijdschrift voor Ergotherapie, vol. 2012, iss. 2, (2012), pp. 33-46)De Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) is een behandelmethode in de neurorevalidatie die erop gericht is om het gHet primaire doel van deze literatuurstudie is te achterhalen of de CIMT en de modified-CIMT (mCIMT) valide en effectieve behandelmethoden zijn om de armen handfunctie van de paretische zijde in de subacute en chronische fase na een CVA te verbeteren. De secundaire doelen zijn het onderzoeken van de effecten van de CIMT en mCIMT op het verbeteren van de uitvoer van dagelijkse activiteiten en participatie.ebruik van de paretische arm en hand na een Cerebro Vasculair Accident (CVA) te verbeteren.
2011, Article / Letter to editor (Wetenschappelijk Tijdschrift voor Ergotherapie, vol. 4, iss. 3, (2011), pp. 60-63)In deze column zullen wij stilstaan bij het concept CBOT, en de concepten ‘community’ en ‘occupation’. We hopen met deze column een discussie op gang te brengen over een nieuwe ontwikkeling in Nederland en aan te geven hoe belangrijk het is om (vertaalde) concepten goed te definiëren.
2010, Article / Letter to editor (Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, vol. 42, iss. 1, (2010), pp. 60-65)To determine the number of employed people in a group of patients with neuromuscular diseases and in 3 separate subgroups (facioscapulo-humeral dystrophy, hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, and myotonic dystrophy) to investigate any differences in employment status between the patient groups, and to identify factors related to employment status. A total of 591 patients with neuromuscular diseases participated in the study, 138 with facioscapulo-humeral dystrophy, 135 with hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, and 318 with myotonic dystrophy. Self-report questionnaires, the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS) and the Short Form-36 (SF-36). Of the patients with neuromuscular diseases in the study, 56.7% were employed. Younger age, being male, and higher education contributed significantly to employment status of the neuromuscular diseases group and the hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy and myotonic dystrophy subgroups. Significant between-group differences for employed vs not employed subjects were present in the total neuromuscular diseases group on all subscales of the CIS and SF-36. Factors related to employment status differed for the 3 neuromuscular diseases subgroups. More than half of the patients with neuromuscular diseases were employed. Patients with facioscapulo-humeral dystrophy and patients with hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy were more often employed than patients with myotonic dystrophy. Between-group analyses for differences in baseline factors revealed 11 significant factors related to employment. Multivariate logistic analyses revealed 6 factors contributing to employment for the group of patients with neuromuscular diseases.
2010, Article / Letter to editor (Wetenschappelijk Tijdschrift voor Ergotherapie, vol. 2010, iss. 3, (2010), pp. 17-18)Betaalde arbeid is een belangrijk aspect van maatschappelijke participatie. De overheid stimuleert arbeidsdeelname, ook bij mensen met een chronische aandoening zoals reumatoïde artritis. De CBO-richtlijn Reumatoïde artritis (2009) beschrijft de risicofactoren voor arbeidsuitval en doet aanbevelingen voor vroegtijdige, multidisciplinaire interventies ter voorkoming van verlies van arbeid. Tijdigheid, het in kaart brengen van de individuele werksituatie en het aanbieden van aanpassingen op het werk worden gezien als belangrijke uitgangspunten voor interventies. De invalshoek van ergotherapie bij risico op arbeidsuitval wordt niet expliciet genoemd in de richtlijn. De beschrijvingen in de richtlijn ten aanzien van de effectiviteit van ergotherapie zijn gericht op alle activiteitendomeinen inclusief arbeid. Het recent gepubliceerde onderzoek van Macedo et al. (2009) is een goede aanvulling op de richtlijn vanwege de focus op ergotherapie en arbeid. Deze kritisch beoordeelde publicatie (critically appraised paper, CAP) geeft een samenvatting van dit onderzoek en beschrijft het belang van de toepassing van de nieuwe evidence.
2009, Article / Letter to editor (Disability and Rehabilitation, vol. 31, iss. 26, (2009), pp. 2150-2163)PURPOSE: A systematic evaluation of the literature to identify health and contextual factors associated with employment in patients with neuromuscular diseases (NMD) and to perform a best evidence synthesis, taking into account the design of studies, methodological quality and the statistical significance of findings. METHOD: Publications were retrieved by a computerised search in medical and psychological databases. Two reviewers assessed titles and abstracts first and assessed the quality of the remaining full text publications independently as well. Of the residual publications, health and contextual factors associated with employment in patients with NMD were extracted. The factors found were included in a recently developed expanded International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health scheme. RESULTS: Six hundred and sixty-two titles and abstracts were screened. The main reason to exclude a title and/or abstract was the absence of the study population selected: Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD), Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy (HMSN) & Myotonic Dystrophy (MD). Of the remaining 20 full-text publications, eight publications fulfilled the inclusion criteria: two repeated survey designs and six cross-sectional studies. Factor extraction resulted in 94 factors related to employment. Ten factors in five publications were indicative for an association with employment status: Disease related factors HMSN, MD & NMD in general), factors related to functions (physical functions, muscle power functions), general personal factors (age, gender and education), work related personal factors (type of occupation, and expressed interest in employment by patients with NMD). CONCLUSION: In the best evidence synthesis ten factors were indicative for an association with employment status in patients with NMD in five publications with good to excellent methodological quality.