The Readiness for Return to Work Scale; Does it Help in Evaluation of Return to Work?
Lene Aasdahl, Marius Steiro Fimland, Cecilie Røe
PMID 34657201WHAT IT FOUND
The Norwegian version of the Readiness for Return to Work scale fails to measure a single clear construct and poorly predicts who returns to work.
Clinicians should not use this questionnaire in the clinic or to evaluate interventions, as its subscales are too small and unstable to guide treatment.
Key findings
01The scale's subscales contained too few items to properly represent underlying dimensions, and the items that did fit together as a construct poorly predicted future work participation.
02Both the scoring option intended for research and the option intended for clinical use displayed poor measurement qualities, including floor and ceiling effects.
03In its current state, the Norwegian version of the questionnaire should not be used in the clinic or for evaluating interventions.
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 study only tested the Norwegian version of the scale, which had some wording changes from the original Canadian version that were not formally validated. The participants were recruited from rehabilitation trials, so they had already agreed to treatment, which may have skewed their attitudes toward returning to work. The study could not track how individuals moved through the stages over time because the questionnaire changes entirely when a person moves from not working to working. Information about the participants' specific job types (e.g., blue-collar vs. white-collar) was not available, which could influence return-to-work experiences.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Norges Forskningsråd, Helse Midt-Norge, and NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology. No commercial conflicts of interest are reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a patient's score on this scale reflects their actual motivation or likelihood of returning to work. The study found that the scale's subscales are statistically unstable and that high scores on 'behavioral' readiness did not predict better outcomes, so using this tool to triage patients or justify treatment intensity could lead to incorrect clinical decisions.