Economic Evaluation of Inpatient Multimodal Occupational Rehabilitation vs. Outpatient Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Sick-Listed Workers with Musculoskeletal- or Common Mental Disorders.

The study was conducted in Norway with a specific welfare system where sick leave is fully compensated, which may not generalize to other healthcare or social security systems. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) could not be calculated due to missing questionnaire data, so the impact on patient well-being beyond work days was not assessed. The confidence intervals for the cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit estimates were wide and included zero, meaning the economic advantage of I-MORE is not statistically certain. The study did not account for presenteeism (reduced productivity while at work), which could alter the true economic benefit. Subgroup analyses by diagnosis or education were not possible due to insufficient sample size.

Funded by the Research Council of Norway (Norges Forskningsråd), Helse Midt-Norge, and NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology. No specific conflicts of interest regarding commercial sponsors were declared.

Do not conclude that inpatient rehabilitation is universally cost-effective or clinically superior for all patients. The economic benefit relied on a specific Norwegian wage and sick-leave compensation model, and the statistical uncertainty (confidence intervals crossing zero) means the advantage over outpatient therapy is not definitively proven.