RESEARCH ARTICLE Impact of a fatigue management in work programme on meeting work demands of individuals with rheumatic diseases: A pilot study* Róisín C. McCormack 1 | Finbar O’Shea 2 | Michele Doran 2 | Deirdre Connolly 3 1 Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St James’ Hospital, Dublin, Ireland 2 Rheumatology Department, St James’ Hospital, Dublin, Ireland 3 Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James’ Hospital, Dublin, Ireland Correspondence Dr Deirdre Connolly, Discipline of Occupational Therapy, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St James’ Hospital, James’ Street, Dublin, DO8 W9RT, Ireland. Email: deirdre.connolly@tcd.ie Abstract Introduction: Work disability and job loss are serious consequences of rheumatic diseases (RDs), and fatigue is a symptom of RDs commonly reported to have an impact on work perfor- mance. A FAtigue ManagEment in Work (FAME‐W) programme was developed to facilitate the self‐management of fatigue in work. The present pilot study explored if FAME‐W could facilitate individuals with RDs to manage fatigue in work and improve their ability to meet work demands. Methods: Twenty‐seven individuals with a variety of rheumatic diagnoses completed a 4‐ week, 2‐h occupational therapy‐led self‐management programme. Each week focused on fatigue‐related topics, including fatigue and activity management, pain management and joint protection, mental well‐being, effective communication with employers and work colleagues, and employment legislation. Individual workplace ergonomic assessments were also offered. Study measures (work function, fatigue, pain, mood and self‐efficacy) were completed prior to starting FAME‐W, immediately post‐intervention and 12 weeks post‐intervention. Results: Participants (56% male) had a mean age of 43 years. No significant improve- ments were observed immediately post‐programme. However, at the 12‐week follow‐up, sig- nificant improvements were reported in meeting work demands (scheduling [p = 0.046], output [p = 0.002], physical [p = 0.003], mental [p = 0.016]), fatigue [p = 0.001], pain [p = 0.01], anxiety [p = 0.001], depression [p < 0.001], self‐efficacy [p < 0.001] and Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales 2‐Short Form (physical: p = 0.005; symptoms: p = 0.010; affect: p = 0.010; social: p = 0.001). Conclusions: Significant improvements were reported in participants’ ability to meet various demands of their work 3 months post‐FAME‐W. These findings suggest that FAME‐W has the potential to assist individuals with RDs to meet the demands of their work, although further research is required to test the effectiveness of this intervention. KEYWORDS fatigue self‐management, occupational therapy, rheumatic diseases, work demands 1 | INTRODUCTION Rheumatic diseases (RDs) occur in 13–28% of people across countries of the developed world (Wong, Davis, Badley, Grewal, & Mohammed, 2010), with approximately one million (22% of the population) affected in Ireland (Arthritis Ireland, 2015). Musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs), including RDs, are the leading cause of work disability in Europe, the USA and Canada, accounting for almost 60% of permanent work loss across Europe (European Commission, 2007; Lundkvist, Kastäng, & Kobelt, 2008). Work disability is a serious outcome that starts soon after diagnosis of RDs, and continues at a steady rate, posing numer- ous challenges for the person, society and overall economy (Bevan, 2015; Lacaille, Sheps, Spinelli, Chalmers, & Esdaile, 2004). At a per- sonal level, job cessation can lead to depressed mood, loss of identity and independence, reduced physical well‐being and decreased self‐ esteem (Barlow, Wright, Williams, & Keat, 2001). In Ireland, up to * The authors did not receive any financial assistance to complete this study Received: 4 January 2018 Revised: 17 January 2018 Accepted: 19 January 2018 DOI: 10.1002/msc.1237 Musculoskeletal Care. 2018;1–7. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/msc 1