Usability of self-reported assessment of work functioning in municipal occupational rehabilitation teams: A qualitative study.
Anne-Mette Hedeager Momsen, Merete Tonnesen, Birgitte Zwicky-Hauschild and 4 others
PMID 36743835WHAT IT FOUND
Municipal rehabilitation teams rejected a new self-reported questionnaire for guiding return-to-work decisions, finding it added no new information and lacked context.
However, professionals and patients agreed that asking about self-efficacy and expectations early in the process could help dialogue and engagement.
Key findings
01Professionals found the questionnaire did not help choose interventions or improve communication, and recommended against using it in its current format for return-to-work meetings.
02Both patients and professionals identified a power imbalance, with patients fearing their answers could be misused to stop benefits, leading them to under-report or over-report capabilities.
03Questions about return-to-work self-efficacy and expectations were viewed as more useful if asked early in the process to facilitate dialogue, rather than just before a decision meeting.
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
The study took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, which prolonged the time between the intervention and the interviews, potentially affecting recall and the fidelity of the implementation. Participants were from two specific municipalities in Denmark, so the findings may not apply to other healthcare systems or cultural contexts. The professionals had varying levels of experience using the questionnaire, which may have influenced their perceptions of its utility.
Declared interests
Funded by 'Folkesundhed i Midten', Central Denmark Region.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the rejection of this specific questionnaire as evidence that patient self-reporting is useless in rehabilitation. The study shows that the timing and context of the assessment matter, and that patients need dialogue to interpret their own answers, especially when power dynamics regarding benefits are at play.