Impact of endometriosis on work productivity and activity impairment: a descriptive literature review

Introduction: Endometriosis is a common chronic condition which affects different aspects of patients’ life. This study was aimed to review the current literature about the impact of endometriosis on the work productivity of suffering patients. Methods: We conducted a descriptive review of the literature on endometriosis impact on work productivity of suffering women. An electronic search was performed in Medline/ PubMed, Science direct, Embase, Scopus, Google scholar, Magiran, and SID (Scientific Information Database) up to January 10, 2017, using the text search terms “productivity,” “work productivity,” “job,” “job loss,” “job productivity,” “absenteeism,” “presenteeism,” “under working,” and “activity impairment” in combination with “endometriosis” and their Persian equivalents. The bibliographies of the articles located were searched manually. Peer-reviewed articles that have reported impacts of endometriosis on work productivity and activity impairment were assessed for eligibility. All studies that had reported the impacts of endometriosis on work productivity aspects were included in the review. Only those studies that used a work productivity and activity impairment survey were included in the study. Results: A total of 2903 studies were retrieved in the initial search. After eligibility assessment, five studies were included in the study. From those, four studies have used work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI) survey, and one has evaluated the work records of patients. All of these studies have reported the negative effect of endometriosis and its related symptoms on work productivity and daily activity of women suffering from the disease. Conclusion: The negative effects of endometriosis on the work productivity confirm its high socioeconomic burden for patients, their family, and the society at large. More investment in research to achieve the diagnosis protocols and treatment interventions is needed.