Mapping Vocational Rehabilitation Interventions for People with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Scoping Review.

This is a scoping review, not an effectiveness review. It mapped what was done and measured, but it did not combine results into effect estimates or appraise study quality. The included studies were only from Europe, and most were from Nordic countries, so the programmes may not match other healthcare or social insurance systems. Intervention details and team collaboration were often missing or vague, which limits how useful the map is for replicating a programme. Work status was measured in many different ways, and return-to-work definitions varied, so studies are hard to compare. The search was limited to 2013 to 2024 and to English, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian, and ten full-text articles were excluded for language. Some included programmes may have been labelled medical rehabilitation in their own country but were classified as vocational rehabilitation by the review's definition.

The paper lists funding from named Danish regional and hospital research funds. It does not report a conflict-of-interest declaration.

Do not read this as proof that vocational rehabilitation programmes improve return to work for chronic low back pain. The review mapped 26 articles from 21 studies and found wide variation in components, collaboration and work-status measures, but it did not establish which programme worked.