The Relationship between Work Ability and Severity of Disease in Patients Recovering from Covid-19

The work ability index based on a person 's health statuse predicts the ability to continue working now and in near feature.  proper assessment of work ability in covid 19 recoveries is important for both patients and employers and its enhancement leads to the efficiency of human resourses in industries and organizations. The working staff’s efficiency is a matter of their work ability. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the present study aimed to explore the relationship between the work ability of patients recovering from Covid-19 and the severity of their disease.

 The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 404 Covid-19 survivors who referred to the specialized medical work center in Mashhad University of medical sciences to apply for the job. The required data were collected using the Work Ability Index (WAI). The severity of disease was categorized as either inpatient or outpatient.

Among the total number of participants, there were 41 (10.1%) inpatients and 363 (89.9%) outpatients. The work ability of 4 participants (1%) was low, 303 (75%) moderate and 96 participants (23.8%) as high and 1 (0.2%) as very high. The mean work ability of Covid-19 inpatients was 35.24±2.85 and that of outpatients was 34.73±2.66. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (p=0.25).

in the light of the present findings it can be concluded that the severity of disease did not affect the work ability of Covid-19 patients. The mean work ability of the two groups was moderate. However, the findings showed that Covid-19 infection affected the staff’s work ability. Thus, it is essential to pay adequate attention to the more at-risk staff.