Loss of Work Productivity due to Illness and Medical Treatment

We examined the effects on work productivity of treatment with antihistamines in a retrospective study using linked health claims data and daily work output records for a sample of nearly 6000 claims processors at a large insurance company, between 1993 and 1995. We explained the variation in work o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 1999-11, Vol.41 (11), p.948-953
Main Authors: Cockburn, Iain M., Bailit, Howard L., Berndt, Ernst R., Finkelstein, Stan N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absenteeism
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Biological and medical sciences
Drug toxicity and drugs side effects treatment
Efficiency - drug effects
Female
Health care
Histamine H1 Antagonists - adverse effects
Histamine H1 Antagonists - therapeutic use
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous (drug allergy, mutagens, teratogens...)
Multivariate Analysis
Occupational medicine
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Productivity
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Regression Analysis
Respiratory Hypersensitivity - drug therapy
Retrospective Studies
Risk Assessment
Sex Factors
Sickness Impact Profile
Sleep Stages
United States
Work Capacity Evaluation
Workplace
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Summary:We examined the effects on work productivity of treatment with antihistamines in a retrospective study using linked health claims data and daily work output records for a sample of nearly 6000 claims processors at a large insurance company, between 1993 and 1995. We explained the variation in work output depending on the subjects' demographic characteristics, their jobs, and whether they were treated with "sedating" versus "nonsedating" antihistamines for nasal allergies. Differences of up to 13% in productivity were found after the subjects took sedating or nonsedating antihistamines. The observed effect suggests substantial indirect economic costs, which up to now have been largely overlooked because work productivity has proved difficultt measure objectively.
ISSN:1076-2752
1536-5948
DOI:10.1097/00043764-199911000-00005