Empowering employees with pain through mobile health

Persistent pain contributes to up to 60% of long-term absenteeism in European workers. Evidence supports the role of physical workplace factors (e.g., repetitive movements), psychosocial work-related stressors (e.g., high workloads), and pain perceptions (e.g., fear of (re)injury) in pain complaints and related absenteeism.

Despite studies finding that unfavourable working conditions can be mitigated by other factors, limited knowledge exists regarding the role of pain perceptions in employees and their interaction with work-related factors.

Research supports the use of multidimensional interventions over singular component approaches for managing pain and mitigating sickness absence. Digital technologies such as mHealth apps could offer a cost-effective solution for supporting pain treatment, overcoming obstacles such as availability and accessibility of healthcare providers. Various research groups have successfully translated validated psychosocial interventions (e.g.; pain education or cognitive behavioural therapy) into app-based interventions. These apps have shown promise in addressing psychosocial risk factors for disability (e.g., pain catastrophizing or fear of movement) in clinical studies.

In addition to a scientifically validated framework, successful pain management apps must consider the specific needs of the end users. Presently, no apps are tailored to employees and the challenges associated with working with pain.

During this PhD, we evaluated the interplay between work-related factors and pain perceptions in real-life situations. This offers valuable insights into the mechanism contributing to pain and absenteeism in employees. Additionally, we  investigated the potential benefits of pain management apps for employees and the factors influencing app-based interventions in the workplace. These insights contribute to the successful adoption of this technology in daily practice.