Sickness absence and flight type exposure in flight crew members.

BACKGROUND: Shift work research has shown that the relationship between exposure to irregular working times and sickness absence may differ between working populations. Not much is known about the prevalence of sickness absence in flight crews or about the relationship between exposure to different flight schedules and sickness absence in this population. AIMS: To examine the association between cumulative exposure to different flight types and sickness absence in flight crew members. METHODS: The study population consisted of flight crew members from a 5 year historic cohort. Flight schedule and sickness absence data were obtained from company records. The association between the cumulative exposure to different flight types and sickness absence episodes of >7 days was determined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Adjusted models were obtained by adding potential confounders. Previous sickness absence was added to compose the fully adjusted models. RESULTS: The records of 8228 employees were analysed. The fully adjusted univariate analyses showed that the numbers of medium-haul flights and flights with time zone crossings were associated with an increase in the odds for sickness absence. The fully adjusted multivariate analyses showed no significant associations between flight types and sickness absence. CONCLUSIONS: Cumulative exposure to flight types was not independently associated with sickness absence in flight crew members when previous sickness absence was taken into account. Because sickness absence in the past can predict future absence, preventive strategies targeted at flight crew members with a history of high sickness absence may be effective.

Annex II technical documentation assessed.

Annex II of the Medical Device Directive (MDD) is used frequently by manufacturers to obtain CE-marking. This procedure relies on a full quality assurance system and does not require an assessment of the individual medical device by a Notified Body. An investigation into the availability and the quality of technical documentation for Annex II devices revealed severe shortcomings, which are reported here.

[Developments in the area of hearing aids]. / Ontwikkelingen op het gebied van hoorhulpmiddelen.

During the past 10-15 years, several techniques have been developed and refined for the treatment of hearing impairment and deafness. The size of hearing aids has been reduced and the sound processing has become more advanced. In the next 20 years sound processing will improve substantially. Although the reduction of size will not continue, the technical possibilities of small hearing aids will improve considerably. These developments will by and large remedy the present shortcomings of hearing aids. The functionality of cochlear implants has improved considerably in recent years, mainly due to improvements in sound processing and it is in this area in particular that improvements are expected during the next 20 years. In the area of bone conducting implants considerable improvements in the apparatus and operating techniques have been made. Minor developments are expected during the next 20 years. As a result of population growth and the aging of the population, the number of hearing aid users will probably multiply in the next 20 years from 380,000 to 523,000. The number of implant users will probably increase in this period. The bulk of the total costs for hearing devices will continue to be the supply of hearing aids.