P23
EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF SEVERE ASTHMA IN THE WORKPLACE: A NARRATIVE REVIEW
A.Ghafuri1, V. Parsons2, A. Stagg3
1GKT School of Medical Education, King’s College London, UK
2School of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, UK
3Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Service, Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
BACKGROUND
Severe asthma is a chronic respiratory condition requiring specialist treatment. While its pathophysiology, clinical management and economic burden have been examined in detail, individual impacts affecting ability to engage in work require further investigation.
AIM
To explore the impact of asthma symptoms in the workplace, particularly their impact on an individual’s capacity to work and to identify common themes in patients’ experiences of working with severe asthma.
METHODS
A narrative review, comprising a qualitative analysis of a systematic literature search for studies reporting on physical and psychosocial impacts of severe asthma, and validated measures of work impairment in adults in a workplace setting.
RESULTS
A review of six studies showed that psychosocial as well as physical impacts can contribute to increases in presenteeism and absenteeism. All six studies reported a combination of typical asthma symptoms such as shortness of breath (SOB), exertion, sleep difficulty and chest pain leading to activity limitation and avoidance. Psychological impacts included anxiety, depression and concerns related to treatment. Social impacts included perceptions of asthma in the workplace and a negative effect on relationships.
CONCLUSION
Psychosocial impacts such as anxiety and depression can pose a significant challenge to achieving optimal asthma control and improving quality of life (QoL). This narrative review highlights a need for further research to inform development of evidence-based interventions such as targeted mental health support on an individual level, and exploring perceptions of asthma as a mild condition or awareness of the range of severity on a population level.
