Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35968657›Full record

ArticleOccupational medicine (Oxford, England)2024

What workers can tell us about post-COVID workability.

J Lunt, S Hemming, K Burton, J Elander, A Baraniak

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Occupational medicine (Oxford, England), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
26citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. Long COVID in healthcare workers: longitudinal mixed-methods study.Occupational medicine (Oxford, England) · 2025
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  14. Impact of Long COVID on productivity and informal caregiving.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2024
    Article
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  16. Evaluating myelophil, a 30% ethanol extract ofFrontiers in pharmacology · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

J LuntSchool of Psychology, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-6493-7036
S HemmingUniversity of Loughborough, Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-9374-7562
K BurtonUniversity of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
J ElanderSchool of Psychology, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom.
A BaraniakSchool of Psychology, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe apparent functional impact of post-COVID-19 syndrome has workability implications for large segments of the working-age population.

aimsTo understand obstacles and enablers around self-reported workability of workers following COVID-19, to better guide sustainable workplace accommodations.

methodsAn exploratory online survey comprising quantitative and qualitative questions was disseminated via social media and industry networks between December 2020 and February 2021, yielding usable responses from 145 workers. Qualitative data were subjected to content analysis.

resultsOver half of the sample (64%) were from the health, social care, and education sectors. Just under 15% had returned to work, and 53% and 50% reported their physical and psychological workability respectively as moderate at best. Leading workability obstacles were multi-level, comprising fatigue, the interaction between symptoms and job, lack of control over job pressures, inappropriate sickness absence management policies, and lack of COVID-aware organizational cultures. Self-management support, modified work, flexible co-developed graded return-to-work planning, and improved line management competency were advocated as key enablers.

conclusionsAssuming appropriate medical management of any pathophysiological complications of COVID-19, maintaining or regaining post-COVID workability might reasonably follow a typical biopsychosocial framework enhanced to cater to the fluctuating nature of the symptoms. This should entail flexible, regularly reviewed and longer-term return-to-work planning addressing multi-level workability obstacles, co-developed between workers and line managers, with support from human resources, occupational health professionals (OHP's), and a COVID-aware organizational culture.

Indexed as

COVID-19Occupational HealthHumansPost-Acute COVID-19 SyndromeSocial SupportWorkplaceaccommodationsbiopsychosociallong-COVIDreturn-to-workvocational rehabilitationworkability

Identifiers

PMID35968657
PMCPMC9384751

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.