| Name of the Instrument/Tool | Work Ability Index (WAI) |
| First Description |
Tuomi, K. (1998). Work ability index (Occupational health care, Bd. 19, 2nd rev. ed). Helsinki: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. |
| Year | 1998 |
| Domains | |
| Concept of constructs | Work |
| Population/Disease | Generic |
| Originally developed for | --- |
| Other rheumatic diseases where can be applied (only if validated) |
Any RMD |
| Additional population with no rheumatic diseases |
No |
| Language: Originally published in | Finnish |
| Available in Language | Dutch, Finnish, Italian, English, Thai, Persian, French, Spanish |
| REFERENCE IDENTIFICATION | |
| Author/s | Tuomi K |
| Title | Work Ability Index |
| Journal | Occupational health care |
| Year | 1998 |
| Vol | 19 |
| Num | 2 |
| Pages | Book |
| Country | Finland |
| Language | Finnish |
| Other references of interest | |
| Link | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24627206 |
| Brief Description |
Work Ability Index as tool to identify workers at risk of premature work exit. |
| Link | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19017690 |
| Brief Description |
The effects of work-related and individual factors on the Work Ability Index: a systematic review. |
| Link | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23681336 |
| Brief Description |
This paper assesses the test retest reliability of the Work Ability Index (WAI) in nursing workers. A self-administered questionnaire was applied twice to a group of 80 workers (nurses and nursing aides/assistants) at a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil within an interval from seven to fifteen days |
| Instrument/Tool Translations References | |
| Link | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26084917 |
| Brief Description |
Psychometric properties of the Thai version of the work ability index (Thai WAI). |
| Link | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22333439 |
| Brief Description |
Work ability index (WAI) and its association with psychosocial factors in one of the petrochemical industries in Iran. |
| DEVELOPER CONTACT INFORMATION | |
| Correspondence to | Kaija Tuomi |
| kaija.tuomi@occuphealth.fi | |
| Address | Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FIN-00250 Helsinki, Finland. |
| Website | --- |
| Available | --- |
| Links | --- |
| DESCRIPTION OF THE INSTRUMENT | |
| Type Of Measure | Questionnaire |
| Brief Description |
The Work Ability Index is a tool to record the work ability of employees. It originated in Finland and was developed as part of a research project (Tuomi et al. 1995). It aims at identifying at an early stage health risks of the employees and risks of early retirement and counteracting them. The first question of the WAI (“current WA compared with lifetime best WA”), is also known as the work ability score (WAS). |
| Number of Items | 7 |
| Range | 7-49 |
| Responses options/scale |
Yes 0-4 |
| Developed for | Research, Clinical practice |
| PRACTICAL APPLICATION | |
| Method of administration | Self-administered |
| Recommendations to score |
The best possible rating on the index is 49 points and the worst is 7 points. The total score is obtained by adding up the points of each item, except for items 2, 3 and 7 for which there are specific scoring rules |
| Score Interpretation | higher scores indicate higher work ability |
| Cut-off points | Define: 7-27 points = poor; 28-36 points = moderate; 37-43 points = good; 44-49 points = excellent; |
| Cut-off points applied to | Not specified |
| Smallest detectable change if described | --- |
| Smallest detectable change applied to | --- |
| Completion time by the patient | - minutes |
| Scoring time by the assessor | - minutes |
| Training to score | Not necessary |
| Strengths | Useful in clinical practice & research, Easy to use |
| Limitations | --- |
| OTHER COMMENTS | |
| Other Comments |
For further information, please contact the developers |