Employment in people with COPD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Psychosocial and physical factors influencing employment in adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
IRAS ID
118614
Contact name
Pamela Kirkpatrick
Contact email
Research summary
In the UK, an estimated 3 million people are affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with about 900,000 being diagnosed. COPD is a slowly progressive disease characterised by increasing breathlessness on exertion. COPD prevalence is rising globally due to continued exposure to COPD risk factors and increasing life expectancy. Chronic ill-health may significantly impact on an individual’s ability to work. This relates to disease severity and psychosocial factors such as illness perception and coping strategies. There is evidence to support the view that work has positive health effects including: improved financial prosperity; social participation; self-esteem; and physical and mental wellbeing. Overall, the benefits of work appear to outweigh the risks and are greater than the detrimental effects of prolonged sickness absence or long-term unemployment. Currently, 40% of those with COPD of working age are not employed. Scotland, like many countries, is faced with an ageing workforce because of relaxation of the retirement age. A 6-month pilot study is proposed to consider employment aspects and clinical and psychosocial profiles of people with COPD aged 40-70 years in primary and secondary care settings. Its purpose is to identify physical and psychosocial factors associated with employment. Factors to be investigated include: physiological parameters; mental wellbeing; resilience; coping strategies; presenteeism; and adaptions at work. The outcome will inform the method and design of a scientifically robust study in which a control group of healthy age-sex-matched people with hypertension will be included to ascertain whether employment-related factors in people with COPD are specific to their clinical condition. The data collected, where appropriate, will constitute an ’internal’ pilot and contribute to the main study analysis.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
13/NS/0139
Date of REC Opinion
26 Sep 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion