Objective Measurement of Work Absence and On-The-Job Productivity: A Case-Control Study of US Employees With and Without Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

OBJECTIVE: To establish an association between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and increased work absence, as well as reduced productivity while at work, by using objective productivity measurements. METHODS: Retrospective case-control analysis of a database containing US employees' administrative health care and payroll data for employees (N = 11,653 with GERD; N = 255,616 without GERD) who were enrolled for at least one year in an employer-sponsored health insurance plan. RESULTS: Employees with GERD had 41% more sick leave days (P < 0.0001), 59% more short-term disability days (P < 0.0001), 39% more long-term disability days (P = 0.1910), 48% more workers' compensation days (P < 0.0001), 4.4% lower objective productivity per hour worked (P = 0.0481), and 6.0% lower annual objective productivity (P = 0.0391) than the employees without GERD. CONCLUSIONS: GERD is associated with a significant impact on employees' work absence and productivity while at work as measured using objective data.