Return-to-Work Within a Complex and Dynamic Organizational Work Disability System.
Arif Jetha, Glenn Pransky, Jon Fish and 1 others
PMID 26547909WHAT IT FOUND
Simulated company policies did not behave as intended.
Higher bonuses had lower return-to-work likelihood and preparedness than no or reduced bonuses. Light duty increased early likelihood, but not preparedness.
Key findings
01In the bonus company simulation, no bonus (66%) and reduced bonus (64%) had higher return-to-work likelihood at 12 weeks than the current $60,000 bonus (59%) and increased $90,000 bonus (57%).
02In the light-duty company simulation, full light duty (46%) and partial light duty (44%) had higher return-to-work likelihood at 6 weeks than no light duty (37%), but at 12 weeks there was little difference (54%, 53%, and 53%).
03The model identified supervisor and co-worker pressure as reducing return-to-work preparedness, while communication quality and co-worker support increased it.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study used stakeholder estimates from 30 people in two companies, so it may not represent other workplaces. The simulations were not compared with actual return-to-work outcomes from workers. The model builder decided which components to include and how they were related, which introduces subjectivity. The method is novel and needs more research across more companies to establish reproducibility. The work is a modeling study, not a clinical trial of treatment in patients.
Declared interests
This work was supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (R01OH010957-04).
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these simulations as proof that changing a bonus or light-duty policy will improve or worsen real return-to-work outcomes. They are model estimates from 30 stakeholders in two companies, not patient outcomes.