Work capacity evaluation during aging: an integrative review
Work Capacity Evaluation; Aging; Occupacional Health.
Introduction: The relationship between population aging and work has been defined as a challenge for the public policy agenda. Determination of the ability to work has gained more and more independence and has been used as an important tool to predict the ability of workers to perform their tasks in the future. Objective: To Understand the behavior of the ability to work during human aging. Method: Integrative review performed in the Scielo, PubMED and LILACS databases; including studies in Portuguese, English and Spanish; open access and available in full. Literature reviews and evidence from case studies, experience, or expert opinion were excluded. Results: Of the total of studies surveyed (n = 225), 17 studies integrated the review. The results were categorized into three dimensions: factors associated with the ability to work; test of theoretical model and validation of instrument of work capacity evaluation and pain, chronic health conditions and ability to work in aging. Conclusion: The evidence points to the need to incorporate early and continuous assessment of work capacity during the worker's working life in order to provide an active, healthy and physically independent old age in which the work force that aging society can assume relevant roles in society.