Adding value for clients during work disability assessments: A qualitative exploration from the perspective of medical examiners.
Marije E Hagendijk, Zhouwen Tan, Marijke Melles and 3 others
PMID 38607780WHAT IT FOUND
Medical examiners identified four themes for adding value during disability assessments: coherent processes, interdisciplinary collaboration, client-centred interaction, and clear information provision.
They reported barriers including strict laws, lack of time, and poor collaboration.
Key findings
01Medical examiners identified four main themes for adding value during work disability assessments: coherent process, interdisciplinary collaboration, client-centred interaction, and information provision.
02Barriers to adding value included laws and regulations, the bureaucratic character of the social security agency, lack of medical information, and a shortage of medical examiners.
03Facilitators for client-centred interaction included having sufficient time during consultations, building a trustful relationship, and guiding clients through acceptance of their situation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (n=7), which increases the possibility that full saturation was not reached. The study was conducted in the specific context of the Dutch Social Security Agency, limiting generalizability to other healthcare systems or private sectors. Participants were recruited via convenience sampling, which may introduce selection bias. The interviews were conducted by students, which might have influenced the depth or direction of the data collection despite supervision.
Declared interests
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that specific interventions improve patient outcomes. This study reports perceptions of barriers and facilitators from a small group of medical examiners, not measured effects of any treatment or service change.