Influencia da Qualidade do Sono na Qualidade de Vida no Trabalho de Policais Militares / Influencia de la Calidad del Sueño en la Calidad de Vida en el Trabajo de la Policía Militar / Influence of Sleep Quality on the Quality of Life and Work of Military Police Officers

Resumo Introdução: A profissão policial é considerada de alto risco e exige um vigor físico e mental do trabalhador diante do serviço realizado. De tal modo que uma boa qualidade do sono é importante, pois impacta diretamente em diversos aspectos na saúde desses trabalhadores. Ademais, a falta de uma boa qualidade do sono devido ao trabalho pode influenciar negativamente a qualidade de vida no trabalho. Objetivo: Analisar a influência da qualidade do sono na qualidade de vida no trabalho de policiais militares. Metodologia: Estudo quantitativo, correlacionalde corte transversal, realizado no primeiro semestre de 2019, com policiais de três municípios da Bahia, Brasil. Foram utilizados três instrumentos: sociodemográfico e características laborais; qualidade de vida de vida no trabalho; e qualidade do sono. Foi aplicado o teste do qui quadrado para as variáveis sociodemograficas e ocupacionais. Posteriormente, foi aplicado o teste de correlação de Spearman entre a qualidade do sono com as dimensões da qualidade de vida no trabalho. Resultados: Evidenciou-se entre os 298 policiais que a mediana da idade foi de 40 anos e tempo de serviço ≤ 7 anos, observou-se também que os policiais com pior qualidade do sono apresentaram qualidade de vida no trabalho insatisfatória em todas as dimensões (biológica/fisiológica; psicológica/comportamental; sociológica/relacional; econômica/política, ambiental/organizacional). Conclusão: Os policiais sofrem com a qualidade do sono e consequentemente influencia negativamente a qualidade de vida no trabalho. Assim, há uma necessidade de desenvolver ações no ambiente de trabalho que possam diminuir os afastamentos decorrentes dos problemas de saúde ocasionados pela qualidade do sono.

Resumen Introdución: La formación policial se considera de alto riesgo y requiere vigor físico y mental por parte de la persona trabajadora antes de realizar el servicio. Para esto, la buena calidad de sueño es importante, ya que impacta directamente en la salud de la población trabajadora en varios aspectos. Además, la falta de una buena calidad de sueño debido al trabajo puede influir negativamente en la calidad de vida fuera del trabajo. Objetivo: Analizar la influencia de la calidad del sueño en la calidad de vida en el trabajo de policías militares. Metodología: Estudio cuantitativo, correlacional transversal, realizado en el primer semestre de 2019, con policías de tres municipios de Bahía, Brasil. Se utilizaron tres instrumentos: características sociodemográficas y laborales, calidad de vida en el trabajo y calidad de sueño. Se aplicó la prueba chi cuadrado para las variables sociodemográficas y ocupacionales. Posteriormente, se aplicó la prueba de correlación de Spearman entre la calidad del sueño y las dimensiones de calidad de vida en el trabajo. Resultados: La muestra fue de 298 policías, la mediana de edad fue de 40 años y la antigüedad en el servicio fue ≤ 7 años. También, se observó quienes tuvieron peor calidad de sueño, también tuvieron una calidad de vida en el trabajo insatisfactoria en todos sus dimensiones (biológica/fisiológica; psicológica/conductual; sociológica/relacional; económica/política, ambiental/organizacional). Conclusión: Quienes son agentes de policía sufren de mala calidad de sueño y, en consecuencia, se influye negativamente su calidad de vida en el trabajo. Por lo tanto, existe la necesidad de desarrollar acciones en el lugar de trabajo que pueda reducir los riesgos de problemas de salud causados por la calidad del sueño.

Abstract Background: Police training is considered high risk and demands physical and mental vigor from the worker before preforming the service. Therefore, sleep quality is important as it directly impacts the health of these workers in several aspects. Furthermore, the lack of sleep quality due to work can negatively influence the quality of life outside of work. Aim: To analyze the influence of sleep quality on the quality of life and work of military police officers. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional correlational study, conducted in the first half of 2019 with police officers from three municipalities in Bahia, Brazil. Three instruments were used: sociodemographic and work characteristics; quality of life at work; and sleep quality. The chi-square test was applied for sociodemographic and occupational variations. Subsequently, the Spearman correlation test was applied between sleep quality and the quality of life and work dimensions. Results: Among the 298 police officers the median age was 40 years and the length of service was ≤ 7 years. It was also observed that police officers with poorer sleep quality had an unsatisfactory quality of life at work in all its dimensions (biological/physiological; psychological/behavioral; sociological/relational; economic/political, environmental/organizational). Conclusion: Police officers suffer from poor sleep quality and this negatively influence their quality of life and work. Therefore, there is a need to develop actions in the workplace that may reduce the risks of health problems caused by poor sleep quality.

Environmental assessments in the workplace: an analysis of workplace wellbeing facilities for people of reproductive age.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the availability of resources at an Australian university workplace to support the health, wellbeing, and transition to parenthood of female employees working during the preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum periods. Type of program or service: Workplace health promotion for female employees of reproductive age. METHODS: A survey of female employees aged 18-45 years evaluated participant health practices, availability of work and parenting supports, and access to health and wellbeing resources in the workplace. Additionally, an environmental assessment was completed by employees with a knowledge of local healthy lifestyle supports and a minimum of 2 years' employment. The assessment documented site characteristics and availability of wellbeing facilities across 10 campuses. RESULTS: There were 241 valid survey responses. Of 221 respondents to a question about workplace support, 76% (n = 168) indicated that the workplace should play a role in supporting the transition to parenthood and in health promotion, with 64.1% of 223 participants disagreeing with the statement "my health is not the responsibility of the university". Both the survey and environmental assessment revealed that access to parenting resources to support employee health and wellbeing were suboptimal. LESSONS LEARNT: There is a misalignment between the needs of female employees working during these health-defining life stages, and the availability of resources to support those needs. Regulatory guidance may be required to navigate resource gaps within the work environment and address factors impacting the health and wellbeing of employees of reproductive age.

Preventing workplace mistreatment and improving workers' mental health: a scoping review of the impact of psychosocial safety climate.

BACKGROUND: Work environment is rapidly evolving, unfortunately, it is also becoming increasingly hostile for workers due mostly to common psychosocial hazards. This situation is posing significant challenges for organisations to protect the psychological well-being of their workers. Hence, this review aims to map studies to understand the influence of psychosocial safety climate (PSC) on workplace mistreatment and mental health of workers. METHODS: The guidelines outlined by Arksey and O'Malley were adopted for this review. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR, Google and Google Scholar were searched for relevant papers. Only peer-reviewed studies that measured PSC using PSC-12, PSC-8 or PSC-4 were included in this review. RESULTS: Thirty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. This review found that PSC has a negative association with workplace mistreatment such as bullying, harassment, violence, discrimination and abuse. Further, PSC has a positive association with psychological well-being, personal resilience and hope. Low level organisational PSC also promotes psychological distress, stress, depression, cognitive weariness and emotional exhaustion. The buffering effect of PSC is well-established. Moreover, PSC mediates the association between health-centric leadership and workers' psychological health problems. The inverse relationship between PSC and depressive symptoms was stronger for females than males. CONCLUSION: Organisations should prioritise training and development of supervisors to enhance their supportive skills, encourage respectful behaviour, encourage the use of resources promote open and bottom-up communication and provide guidance on conflict resolution. By promoting a high PSC context, organisations can create a culture that discourages mistreatment, leading to increased employee well-being, job satisfaction, and productivity.

Navigating AI transitions: how coaching leadership buffers against job stress and protects employee physical health.

The dynamic interplay between Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption in modern organizations and its implications for employee well-being presents a paramount area of academic exploration. Within the context of rapid technological advancements, AI's promise to revolutionize operational efficiency juxtaposes challenges relating to job stress and employee health. This study explores the nuanced effects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption on employee physical health within organizational settings, investigating the potential mediating role of job stress and the moderating influence of coaching leadership. Drawing from the conservation of resource theory, the research hypothesized that AI adoption would negatively impact employee physical health both directly and indirectly through increased job stress. Critically, our conceptual model underscores the mediating role of job stress between AI adoption and physical health. Further, introducing a novel dimension to this discourse, we postulate the moderating influence of coaching leadership. To empirically test the hypotheses, we gathered survey data from 375 South Korean workers with a three-wave time-lagged research design. Our results demonstrated that all the hypotheses were supported. The results have significant implications for organizational strategies concerning AI implementation and leadership development.

Effect of Active Workstations on Neurocognitive Performance and Typing Skills: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Extended sedentary behavior is a risk factor for chronic disease and mortality, even among those who exercise regularly. Given the time constraints of incorporating physical activity into daily schedules, and the high likelihood of sitting during office work, this environment may serve as a potentially feasible setting for interventions to reduce sedentary behavior. METHODS AND RESULTS: A randomized cross-over clinical trial was conducted at an employee wellness center. Four office settings were evaluated on 4 consecutive days: stationary or sitting station on day 1 (referent), and 3 subsequent active workstations (standing, walking, or stepper) in randomized order. Neurocognitive function (Selective Attention, Grammatical Reasoning, Odd One Out, Object Reasoning, Visuospatial Intelligence, Limited-Hold Memory, Paired Associates Learning, and Digit Span) and fine motor skills (typing speed and accuracy) were tested using validated tools. Average scores were compared among stations using linear regression with generalized estimating equations to adjust standard errors. Bonferroni method adjusted for multiple comparisons. Healthy subjects were enrolled (n=44), 28 (64%) women, mean±SD age 35±11 years, weight 75.5±17.1 kg, height 168.5±10.0 cm, and body mass index 26.5±5.2 kg/m2. When comparing active stations to sitting, neurocognitive test either improved or remained unchanged, while typing speed decreased without affecting typing errors. Overall results improved after day 1, suggesting habituation. We observed no major differences across active stations, except decrease in average typing speed 42.5 versus 39.7 words per minute with standing versus stepping (P=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Active workstations improved cognitive performance, suggesting that these workstations can help decrease sedentary time without work performance impairment. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT06240286.

A participatory and comprehensive intervention to improve violence prevention in two high-risk occupations: effect and process evaluation of a stepped wedge cluster randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Work-related violence committed by clients, patients, and customers represents a major occupational health risk for employees that needs to be reduced. METHODS: We tested a comprehensive violence prevention intervention involving active participation of both employees and managers in the Prison and Probation Service (PPS) and on psychiatric wards in Denmark. We used a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial design. We measured the degree of implementation of the intervention by registration of fidelity, reach, and dose and used a mixed-effects regression analysis to estimate the effects of the intervention. RESULTS: We recruited 16 work units for the intervention, but three work units dropped out. The average implementation rate was 73%. In the psychiatric wards, the intervention led to statistically significant improvements in the primary outcome (an increase in the degree to which managers and employees continuously work on violence prevention practices based on their registration and experiences), but none statistically significant improvements in any of the secondary outcomes. In the PPS units, the intervention did not lead to a statistically significant improvement in the primary outcome, but to statistically significant improvements in three secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: Most work units were able to carry out the intervention as planned. The intervention showed mixed results regarding the primary outcome. Nevertheless, the results indicate improvements also in the sector where a change in the primary outcome was not achieved. The results point at that a participatory and comprehensive approach could be a viable way of working with violence prevention in high-risk workplaces. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN86993466: 20/12/2017.

[Climate emergency and employment, a challenge we cannot ignore in occupational health]. / Emergencia climática y empleo, un reto que no podemos ignorar en salud laboral.

Más de 200 revistas científicas de todo el mundo han solicitado a las Naciones Unidas que declare la emergencia sanitaria global antes de la próxima Asamblea de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), prevista para mayo de 2024.

Health promotion of Street Clinic workers: convergent care research.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a health promotion action for Street Clinic workers. METHOD: Qualitative research which used the Convergent Care Research methodology. The data collection was conducted through participant observation and convergence groups, from May to October 2021, with 39 workers from six teams of the Street Clinic. Data analysis followed the stages of apprehension, synthesis, theorization, and transfer. RESULTS: Some integrativepractices such as, stretching, group dynamics, dance, music, massage and cinema were suggested as interventions to be implemented. Given the need, Reichian stretching was developed as an intervention which favored body awareness, promoting the well-being of workers. CONCLUSION: The workers presented a conception of health promotion related to access to services and guarantee of rights. Reichian stretching provided a space for care and reflection on caring and respecting limits, favoring the body awareness and promoting relaxation.

Precarious work and methodological challenges to study hard-to-reach populations.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the methodological challenges and strategies of a web survey on the working conditions and health among delivery workers. METHODS: The study population consisted of Brazilian delivery workers operating in the national territory. Procedures include building solid and ongoing collaboration with worker representatives and conducting a four-month data collection from February to May 2022, sharing the link to the online questionnaire on social media such as social networks (Facebook, Instagram) and messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram). RESULTS: The recruitment of 41 leaders or influencers of delivery workers increased the dissemination of the study, some of whom participated in the consensual validation of the questionnaire; the production of content for social media for the dissemination of the questionnaire link on social networks and applications, and the in-person dissemination of the study at the delivery workers' meeting points during the workday played a fundamental role, totaling around 132 hours in 45 shifts. The strategies adopted for data collection with a hybrid approach to dissemination made it possible to carry out the web survey. After four months of the web survey, 564 delivery workers, 543 men and 18 women, responded to the online questionnaire. CONCLUSION: The web survey presented methodological strategies to overcome the challenge of reaching workers, including hybrid work, to increase the participation of workers, on whom epidemiological research is still scarce.

A pilot study on psychosocial factors and perceptions of organizational health among a sample of U.S. waste workers.

Solid waste workers encounter a number of occupational hazards that are likely to induce stress. Thus, there are likely to be psychosocial factors that also contribute to their overall perceptions of organizational health. However, attitudes regarding the aforementioned among solid waste workers' have not been assessed. This descriptive, cross-sectional pilot study operationalized the INPUTS Survey to determine workers' perceptions of organizational health and other psychosocial factors of work. Percentage and mean responses to each INPUTS domain are presented in accordance with their survey manual. Pearson's chi-squared tests were run on count data; Fisher's exact tests were run for count data with fewer than five samples. ANOVAs were run on the continuous items. Due to a relatively low sample size (N = 68), two-sided p values < 0.1 were considered statistically significant. Most solid waste worker participants reported high decision authority, that they perceived their management to prioritize workplace health and safety, and had high job satisfaction. However, perceptions of support for health outside of the realm of occupational safety and health was lower. Addressing traditional occupational health hazards continues to take precedence in this industry, with less of a focus on how the social determinants of health may impact workplace health.

A new perspective on balancing life domains: work-nonwork balance crafting.

BACKGROUND: Self-initiated and proactive changes in working conditions through crafting are essential for shaping work and improving work-related well-being. Recently, the research stream of job crafting has been extended to other life domains. The present paper aims to study a novel crafting concept-work-nonwork balance crafting-investigating the role of its antecedents and identifying relevant outcomes. Work-nonwork balance crafting is defined as individuals' unofficial techniques and activities to shape their work-nonwork balance, here considering their life domain boundary preferences. METHODS: In the study, 1,060 employees in three European countries (Austria, Germany and Switzerland) were surveyed in a longitudinal three-wave study with three-month intervals. We explored the influences of job/home demands and resources as antecedents of work-nonwork balance crafting. Important constructs for employee health and well-being (i.e., work engagement, work-related burnout, mental well-being and detachment from work) were investigated as outcomes. RESULTS: The findings suggest that resources and demands in the context of work or home are key antecedents of work-nonwork balance crafting. Work-nonwork balance crafting was also predictive for important employee health and well-being outcomes over three months, mainly in a positive and health-promoting way. CONCLUSION: This study provides insights into the antecedents of proactive efforts to balance the complex interplay of life domains. By studying work-nonwork balance crafting, we provide a new perspective on crafting beyond job crafting, which may help maintain or improve employees' mental health and well-being.

[Men working through mobile applications in Brazil: Reflections from occupational health]. / Hombres que trabajan a través de aplicaciones móviles en Brasil: reflexiones desde la salud ocupacional.

Work through mobile applications emerged as an alternative for many Brazilian men during the economic crisis and rising unemployment. However, these workers operate informally, without a formal employment relationship, leading to labor precariousness and a lack of workers' rights. Using a theoretical-reflexive, this study analyzes the intersection between occupational health, the platformization of work, and the specific challenges faced by male delivery app workers, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflective categories are divided into two thematic sections: "Labor insertion through mobile applications in Brazil and the algorithmic work model" and "men, health, and motorcycles: occupational health and male behavior in app-based delivery work." The study examines the expansion of this type of work in the Brazilian socio-economic context, the lack of security and labor protection for these workers, as well as the risks faced, particularly during the pandemic, within a male-centric culture.

El trabajo a través de aplicaciones móviles surgió como una alternativa para muchos hombres brasileños durante la crisis económica y el aumento del desempleo. Sin embargo, estos trabajadores operan de manera informal, sin relación laboral, lo que genera precariedad laboral y falta de derechos laborales. Desde un abordaje teórico-reflexivo, este artículo analiza la intersección entre la salud ocupacional, la plataformización del trabajo y los desafíos específicos que enfrentan los hombres repartidores de aplicaciones, especialmente durante la pandemia de covid-19. Las categorías reflexivas se dividieron en dos secciones temáticas: "La inserción laboral a través de aplicaciones móviles en Brasil y el modelo de trabajo mediante algoritmos" y "hombres, salud y motocicletas: la salud ocupacional y el comportamiento masculino en el trabajo a través de aplicaciones de entrega". Se examina la expansión de este tipo de trabajo en el contexto socioeconómico brasileño, la falta de seguridad y protección laboral para estos trabajadores, así como los riesgos enfrentados, especialmente durante la pandemia, en el marco de una cultura masculina.

Character Strengths and Emotion Self-Regulation in Brazilian Workers / Fortalezas del carácter y autorregulación emocional en trabajadores brasileños

Las fortalezas del carácter y la autorregulación de las emociones son recursos psicológicos relevantes para ayudar a los trabajadores a hacer frente a las demandas actuales en trabajo. La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo probar la asociación y el poder predictivo de las fortalezas del carácter con respecto a la autorregulación emocional. Un total de 203 participantes con edades entre 18 y 68 años respondieron el cuestionario sociodemográfico, la Escala de Fortaleza del Carácter - Breve (EFC-Breve) y la Escala de Autorregulación Emocional - Adulto (EARE-AD). Los resultados indicaron asociaciones de débiles a fuertes entre los factores CSS-Brief y ESRS-AD. La fortaleza intrapersonal y las fortalezas intelectuales e interpersonales predijeron las estrategias de autorregulación emocional susceptibles de ser adoptadas por los trabajadores. La evidencia recopilada sugirió diferencias significativas en ESRS-AD y CSS-Brief con respecto a las características sociodemográficas de los participantes. Estos resultados se han producido independientemente del nivel jerárquico y del departamento de trabajo de los trabajadores.(AU)

Character strengths and emotion self-regulation are relevant psychological resources to help workers cope with current demands in the workplace. The present investigation aimed to test the association with and the predictive power of the character strengths regarding emotion self-regulation. A total of 203 participants aged 18 to 68 years answered the so-ciodemographic questionnaire, Character Strength Scale –Brief (CSS-Brief), and the Emotion Self-Regulation Scale –Adult (ESRS-AD). The findings indicated weak to strong associations between the CSS-Brief and ESRS-AD factors. The intrapersonal strength and the intellectual and in-terpersonal strengths predicted the emotion self-regulation strategies likely to be adopted by the workers. The gathered evidence suggested significant differences in the ESRS-AD and CSS-Brief regarding the participants’ so-ciodemographic features. These results have occurred regardless of the workers’ hierarchical level and job department.(AU)

Servicio Autónomo Instituto de Altos Estudios "Dr. Arnoldo Gabaldon"

Ente adscrito al Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Salud que ofrece programas de formación de posgrado, formación permanente y de interacción social para dar respuesta a las necesidades del Sistema Público Nacional de Salud, eventos edición de publicaciones, incluyendo el Boletin de Malariología y Salud Ambiental.

[Investigation and analysis of acute poisoning of organic fluorine mixed gas in a fluorine polymerization plant].

In January 2021, an acute chemical poisoning incident occurred at a fluorine polymerization plant. Through the analysis of the occupational health situation of the enterprise, combined with the clinical manifestations of the poisoned patients and the laboratory examination results, it was determined that the incident was an acute poisoning incident caused by the inhalation of organic fluorine mixed gas in the fluorine polymerization plant. Subsequently, it was clarified that the accident was caused by the illegal operation of the employees of the fluorine polymerization plant, which caused the discharge of the organic fluorine mixed gas containing high concentration of octafluoroisobutene, resulting in the poisoning of the on-site construction personnel. In order to avoid the occurrence of similar incidents, enterprises should implement the main responsibility of safety production, regularly organize supervision and inspection, eliminate illegal operations, conduct safety education and training for the staff of the unit and outsourced staff, and improve the emergency rescue ability of sudden poisoning incidents.

[Discussion on the application status and method improvement of gas chromatography in occupational health inspection standards in China].

As a rapid, accurate and efficient analytical technique, gas chromatography is widely used in the detection of volatile organic compounds and inorganic small molecule toxins, and it is the main analytical method in the national testing standards for occupational health. The existing effective national standards of gas chromatography for the detection of some substances have low column efficiency, high toxicity of reagents, poor correlation of the standard curve and low desorption efficiency and other problems, some of which can be solved through method improvement. At the same time, with the use of new materials and new processes, new types of toxic substances are emerging, and there are still many occupational disease hazards of limited value without supporting detection methods, gas chromatography can be applied to the detection of some toxic substances to better complement the vacancy of China's occupational health detection methods. This paper analyzes the current situation of the application of gas chromatography in occupational health testing standards, discusses the improvement of some of these methods, and helps to promote the application and development of gas chromatography in occupational health testing.

Hypertension and Occupational Health: A General Overview and Expert Consensus Suggestions.

Hypertension is a common public health issue, and its incidene increases parallel to age. It is inevitable that certain occupational conditions may pose risks for high blood pressure or cause difficulties in managing blood pressure. Working under specific circumstances may compromise the safety of individuals with hypertension and potentially others. Therefore, it is crucial to implement activities that enhance awareness of hypertension, to ensure regular periodic examinations, and to establish necessary precautions in the workplace for the health of employees and the public. Given the limited resources offering guidance on hypertension in the context of occupational health, the authors of this paper, who hail from different disciplines, have prepared a set of consensus-based suggestions.

Association of Endogenous Testosterone with Physical Fitness Measures during Firefighter Occupational Health Evaluations.

Firefighting is a physically demanding profession associated with unacceptably high on-duty cardiovascular mortality. Low endogenous total testosterone (TT) is an emerging cardiometabolic (CM) risk factor in men, but limited data exists on its interactions with physical fitness (PF). Data from occupational health and fitness assessments of 301 male career firefighters (FFs) were analyzed. TT was categorized as low (<264 ng/dL), borderline (264-399 ng/dL), and reference (400-916 ng/dL). PF tests included cardiorespiratory fitness (submaximal treadmill), body fat percentage (BF%), push-ups, plank, and handgrip strength assessments. In the crude analyses, FFs in the low TT group had worse muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness measures compared to the referent group. However, after adjusting for age and BF%, none of the PF differences remained statistically significant. Similarly, the odds of less-fit FFs (PF performance below median values) having low TT were higher compared to the fitter ones only before adjusting for age and BF%. Therefore, in the final adjusted model, there was no significant association between TT and PF. Our data suggest that age and body fat confound the association between PF and TT. Low TT and poor PF are important components of FFs' CM risk profile, and there is potential benefit to considering TT screening as part of a comprehensive occupational health program that manages performing medical evaluations and provides education and preventative programming.

The Work Ability Index (WAI) in the Healthcare Sector: A Cross-Sectional/Retrospective Assessment of the Questionnaire.

The Work Ability Index (WAI) is the most widely used questionnaire for the self-assessment of working ability. Because of its different applications, shorter versions, and widespread use in healthcare activities, assessing its characteristics is worthwhile. The WAI was distributed online among the employees of a healthcare company; the results were compared with data contained in the employees' personal health records and with absence registers. A total of 340 out of 575 workers (59.1%) participated; 6.5% of them reported poor work ability. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the one-factor version best described the characteristics of the WAI. The scores of the complete WAI, the shorter form without the list of diseases, and the minimal one-item version (WAS) had equal distribution and were significantly correlated. The WAI score was inversely related to age and significantly lower in women than in men, but it was higher in night workers than in their day shift counterparts due to the probable effect of selective factors. The WAI score was also correlated with absenteeism, but no differences were found between males and females in the average number of absences, suggesting that cultural or emotional factors influence the self-rating of the WAI. Workers tended to over-report illnesses in the online survey compared to data collected during occupational health checks. Musculoskeletal disorders were the most frequently reported illnesses (53%). Psychiatric illnesses affected 21% of workers and had the greatest impact on work ability. Multilevel ergonomic and human factor intervention seems to be needed to recover the working capacity of healthcare workers.