Since 2007, the Fit for Work programme has looked at the impact of MSDs on individuals’ ability to work in 30 European and beyond. Now that we have collected data from all over Europe, we are beginning to understand why some countries perform better at tackling the impact of MSDs on the economy and the society. We see strong evidence for the connection between prevalence of long-term illness, labour market indicators and the country’s economic performance.
To illustrate the links between the health status of a country’s population and the financial health of the state, we are developing a
series of tools that will allow in-country stakeholders to review the situation in their own state, but also to compare it with other European countries. For example, recent analysis by the Fit for Work Coalition Co-President Stephen Bevan has showed a correlation between presenteeism (coming to work when ill) levels and unemployment rate.
The Health map provides a shapshot of health and economic indicators across the European countries: data on sickness absence,
presenteeism, burden of MSDs and others. The health and economic indcators graph allows users to track the changes in such indicators in time.
Gathering and monitoring data on the impact of health on economy and the society is essential for tackling the negative burden of MSDs in Europe, as it is impossible to manage a phenomenon that is poorly understood. In many countries healthcare and welfare systems still fail to collect reliable data on prevalence, direct and indirect costs of MSDs. That is why we are currently working on a tool that would allow European stakeholders to review and learn from good practice examples in other European countries.
I hope that visitors to the FfW website get a chance to review and explore the data presented in our charts. These tools contain a
tremendous amount of information, and can be embedded into other websites if needed. In the meanwhile, we will continue to develop these charts to help address the burden of MSDs in Europe.
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