Sustainable Return to Work: A Systematic Review Focusing on Personal and Social Factors.
Abasiama Etuknwa, Kevin Daniels, Constanze Eib
PMID 30767151WHAT IT FOUND
Support from managers and colleagues, positive attitude, confidence, younger age and higher education were most consistently linked with staying back at work after musculoskeletal or mental health absence.
No single factor explained sustainable return.
Key findings
01Support from leaders and support from co-workers were among the factors most consistently associated with sustainable return to work for both musculoskeletal and common mental disorder groups.
02Positive attitude, high self-efficacy, younger age and higher education were also consistently linked with sustainable return to work.
03Gender effects were inconsistent, and job crafting had too few studies for firm conclusions.
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 review did not meta-analyse because outcome measures were very heterogeneous. Many included studies were observational or qualitative, so they show associations rather than proving that a factor causes sustainable return. The authors included studies in the summary even if some quality answers were no or can't tell. Only the first author screened all citations, and only 30% were checked by other authors, so selection bias is possible. Unpublished studies may have been missed. Some factors had very low confidence because only two studies or contradictory results were found. Gender results were inconsistent, and job crafting had too few studies for firm conclusions.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the consistent links as proof that improving self-efficacy or manager support will cause sustainable return to work. The review synthesises observational and intervention studies with mixed designs, and some factors showed no effect or inconsistent effects.