Inter-rater reliability of direct observations of the physical and psychosocial working conditions in eldercare: An evaluation in the DOSES project

Kristina Karstad; Reiner Rugulies; Jørgen Skotte; Pernille Kold Munch; Birgit A Greiner; Alex Burdorf; Karen Søgaard; Andreas Holtermann

doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2018.01.004

Inter-rater reliability of direct observations of the physical and psychosocial working conditions in eldercare: An evaluation in the DOSES project

Appl Ergon. 2018 May:69:93-103. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2018.01.004. Epub 2018 Jan 30.

Authors

Kristina Karstad¹, Reiner Rugulies², Jørgen Skotte³, Pernille Kold Munch³, Birgit A Greiner⁴, Alex Burdorf⁵, Karen Søgaard⁶, Andreas Holtermann⁷

Affiliations

¹ National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NRCWE), Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark; Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark. Electronic address: kka@nrcwe.dk.
² National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NRCWE), Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark; Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1014 Copenhagen K, Denmark; Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
³ National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NRCWE), Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.
⁴ School of Public Health, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, Ireland.
⁵ Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
⁶ Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark; Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Winsløwparken 19, 5000 Odense C, Denmark.
⁷ National Research Centre for the Working Environment (NRCWE), Lersø Parkallé 105, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark; Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark.

PMID: 29477334
DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2018.01.004

Abstract

The aim of the study was to develop and evaluate the reliability of the "Danish observational study of eldercare work and musculoskeletal disorders" (DOSES) observation instrument to assess physical and psychosocial risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in eldercare work. During 1.5 years, sixteen raters conducted 117 inter-rater observations from 11 nursing homes. Reliability was evaluated using percent agreement and Gwet's AC1 coefficient. Of the 18 examined items, inter-rater reliability was excellent for 7 items (AC1>0.75) fair to good for 7 items (AC1 0.40-0.75) and poor for 2 items (AC1 0-0.40). For 2 items there was no agreement between the raters (AC1 <0). The reliability did not differ between the first and second half of the data collection period and the inter-rater observations were representative regarding occurrence of events in eldercare work. The instrument is appropriate for assessing physical and psychosocial risk factors for MSD among eldercare workers.

Keywords: Healthcare; Nursing home; Patient handling activities.

Publication types

Observational Study

MeSH terms

Caregivers / psychology*
Female
Humans
Male
Moving and Lifting Patients / psychology
Nursing Homes / statistics & numerical data*
Observer Variation
Occupational Diseases / physiopathology
Occupational Diseases / psychology
Reproducibility of Results
Work / physiology*
Work / psychology*
Workload / psychology*