The Dunedin School of Medicine clinical skills administrator said a report out this week revealed the difficulty of those with musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) negotiating the workforce.
The report, "Fit For Work?", said the conditions accounted for about a quarter of New Zealand's health-care costs, while sufferers were more than 30% less likely to have a job.
The report recommended better support for people to work through improving health-care and workplace systems, including GPs working in partnership with employers.
Ms Browne (61), who also has a calcium phosphate deposit condition known as pseudogout, said, while her health made full-time work a challenge, she considered herself lucky.
Working for the medical school, she was fortunate to be employed by people who understood the burden of having a chronic illness.
Without her job, her standard of living would be considerably lower, and that was something that worried her.
Applying for jobs was daunting, because of the fear her medical condition could count against her.
While she would be angry to be discriminated against, she would "feel terrible" if her employer had to spend extra money to accommodate her illness.
As a former business co-owner, she had some reservations about the report's recommendations because of where their costs would fall and doubt over whether some measures were practical.
It was a problem with no simple answer, she said.
Many people with her condition were socially isolated, frustrated, and some lacked access to good health therapies, she said.
The report was written by The Work Foundation, which is part of Lancaster University, in England. It was paid for by health-care firm Abbott.
