The Development and Content of the Vocational Advice Intervention and Training Package for the Study of Work and Pain (SWAP) Trial (ISRCTN 52269669).
G Sowden, C J Main, D A van der Windt and 2 others
PMID 29982957WHAT IT FOUND
For people with musculoskeletal pain who are off work or struggling at work, a primary care vocational advice service was designed to begin with a phone call, identify obstacles using psychosocial flags, and agree a return-to-work plan.
Key findings
01The service was designed for employed working-age adults with musculoskeletal pain who were off work for less than 6 months or struggling at work, and it was embedded in GP practices.
02The service was designed to start with a telephone call and step up to face-to-face meetings or a worksite visit only if needed, using the psychosocial flags model to identify obstacles.
03The advisors received a 4-day course, a refresher day, and monthly mentoring; in practice all advice was delivered by 3 physiotherapists.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The paper does not report the trial's primary outcome or patient results. The intervention was developed for UK primary care and UK employment and benefits rules. The development process did not use formal intervention mapping or a formal systematic review. The vocational advice role was filled by physiotherapists in practice, so the paper does not show how nurses or other allied health professionals would perform it.
Declared interests
The supplied text names funding from Programme Grants for Applied Research and the National Institute for Health Research. It does not provide author conflict-of-interest declarations.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this development paper as evidence that the vocational advice service improves work outcomes. It reports how the service and training were designed; the trial results are described in another paper.