A Mixed-Methods Process Evaluation of the Maastricht Work-Related Support Intervention for Healthcare Professionals in Clinical Care.
Maarten Butink, Annelies Boonen, Tim Boymans and 3 others
PMID 38856951WHAT IT FOUND
Work-related support was poorly adopted by clinicians.
Only 47% of potentially working patients had work status discussed, and clinicians cited time constraints despite positive patient reports when support was provided.
Key findings
01Work status was discussed with 770 of 1624 patients scheduled for consultation and aged 18-65, which is 47%.
02Healthcare professionals were positive about work-related support in general, but their attitude toward providing this specific pathway themselves was considerably lower, with time and competing priorities named as barriers.
03Patients who received support described it as helpful because they gained insight or practical work advice, but follow-up work discussions were low unless patients raised work themselves.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The interview samples were small, so the themes cannot be treated as generalizable. The study was done in one university medical center, so results may not apply to other hospitals or outpatient clinics. Orthopedic patients screened themselves on a form at home, which may have selected for people already aware of work problems. The study did not compare patients with and without the pathway, so it cannot show that the intervention changed work participation. Work status was collected for only 770 of 1624 patients, so the screening findings may not represent all eligible patients. The authors state the numbers were too low for statistical tests.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not report funding or conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the positive patient reports or the 47% discussion rate as proof that this work-related support pathway improves work participation. The study was a process evaluation, used small interview samples, had no comparison group, and the authors describe overall implementation failure.