Purpose: A systematic evaluation of the literature to identify health and contextual factors associated with employment in patients with neuromuscular diseases (NMD) and to perform a best evidence synthesis, taking into account the design of studies, methodological quality and the statistical significance of findings.
Method: Publications were retrieved by a computerised search in medical and psychological databases. Two reviewers assessed titles and abstracts first and assessed the quality of the remaining full text publications independently as well. Of the residual publications, health and contextual factors associated with employment in patients with NMD were extracted. The factors found were included in a recently developed expanded International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health scheme.
Results: Six hundred and sixty-two titles and abstracts were screened. The main reason to exclude a title and/or abstract was the absence of the study population selected: Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD), Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy (HMSN) & Myotonic Dystrophy (MD). Of the remaining 20 full-text publications, eight publications fulfilled the inclusion criteria: two repeated survey designs and six cross-sectional studies. Factor extraction resulted in 94 factors related to employment. Ten factors in five publications were indicative for an association with employment status: Disease related factors HMSN, MD & NMD in general), factors related to functions (physical functions, muscle power functions), general personal factors (age, gender and education), work related personal factors (type of occupation, and expressed interest in employment by patients with NMD).
Conclusion: In the best evidence synthesis ten factors were indicative for an association with employment status in patients with NMD in five publications with good to excellent methodological quality.