Vocational Rehabilitation with or without Work Module for Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Sick Leave from Work: Longitudinal Impact on Work Participation.
Timo T Beemster, Coen A M van Bennekom, Judith M van Velzen and 2 others
PMID 32378023WHAT IT FOUND
Adding a work module to vocational rehabilitation was associated with higher work participation at 6 months, but not at discharge.
The study was observational with high dropout, so this suggests a benefit rather than proving it.
Key findings
01Patients in the VR+ program had significantly higher odds of achieving work participation at 6 months compared to the VR program.
02There was no significant difference in work participation between the two groups at discharge.
03Return-to-work expectation was a significant confounder, with patients having positive expectations showing higher odds of successful work participation regardless of the program type.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study was observational, not randomized, so selection bias may have occurred as employers had to pay for the additional work module. There was a high loss to follow-up rate of 41%, which may affect the representativeness of the results. Contamination bias was possible because patients in both groups participated in rehabilitation together and could share information. It was unknown if all patients in the VR+ group actually received all components of the work module. The Dutch social security system mandates employer support for modified work, which may limit the generalizability of these findings to other countries.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was conducted within clinical practice settings, and the work module required employer reimbursement.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the 6-month result as proof that the work module causes increased work participation. The study was observational with significant selection bias and contamination, and the difference at discharge was not significant.