Sustained Attention and Working Memory Predict the Number of Days on Health-Related Benefits in the Year Following Occupational Rehabilitation.
Thomas Johansen, Irene Øyeflaten, Hege R Eriksen and 6 others
PMID 33471320WHAT IT FOUND
For patients on long-term benefits, better sustained attention and working memory at the start of rehab predicted fewer days on benefits one year later.
Attention improvement during rehab also predicted fewer benefit days in this group.
Key findings
01In the work assessment allowance and disability pension group, both baseline and change scores in sustained attention were associated with fewer days on health-related benefits one year after rehabilitation.
02In the sick leave group, baseline working memory errors were associated with the number of days on health-related benefits one year after rehabilitation.
03The study found associations between cognitive performance and benefit days but could not determine which specific rehabilitation components caused any cognitive improvement or the final outcome.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Recruiting patients from four different clinics introduced potential confounders, as differences in procedures, intervention dosage, and alliances with patients could not be fully accounted for. The study used only one item from the Work Ability Index, meaning it did not measure the whole concept of work ability. The findings cannot explain which specific treatment components within the rehabilitation programme positively affected sustained attention and working memory. It is an observational cohort study, so it can only show associations, not causation. It cannot be determined if improving cognition directly leads to fewer benefit days.
Declared interests
The study was supported by non-U.S. government funding. No specific commercial conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as proof that cognitive training alone will reduce days on health-related benefits. The study shows an association between cognitive performance and return-to-work outcomes, but it cannot determine which parts of the rehabilitation programme were responsible for the cognitive changes or the final outcome.