Dataset Information

The association between having a coordinator and return to work: the rapid-return-to-work cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The aim of this study was to assess if the reported provision of a coordinator was associated with time to first return to work (RTW) and first full RTW among sick-listed employees who participated in different rapid-RTW programmes in Norway.

Design

The study was designed as a cohort study.

Setting

Rapid-RTW programmes financed by the regional health authority in hospitals and Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration in Norway.

Participants

The sample included employees on full-time sick leave (n=326) who participated in rapid-RTW programmes (n=43), who provided information about the coordination of the services they received. The median age was 46 years (minimum-maximum 21-67) and 71% were female. The most common reported diagnoses were musculoskeletal (57%) and mental health disorders (14%).

Interventions

The employees received different types of individually tailored RTW programmes all aimed at a rapid RTW; occupational rehabilitation (64%), treatment for medical or psychological issues, including assessment, and surgery (26%), and follow-up and work clarification services (10%). It was common to be provided with a coordinator (73%).

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Outcomes were measured as time to first RTW (graded and 100%) and first full RTW (100%).

Results

Employees provided with a coordinator returned to work later than employees who did not have a coordinator; a median (95%?CI) of 128 (80 to 176) days vs 61 (43 to 79) days for first RTW, respectively. This difference did not remain statistically significant in the adjusted regression analysis. For full RTW, there was no statistically significant difference between employees provided with a coordinator versus those who were not.

Conclusions

The model of coordination, provided in the Norwegian rapid-RTW programmes was not associated with a more rapid RTW for sick-listed employees. Rethinking how RTW coordination should be organised could be wise in future programme development.

SUBMITTER: Skarpaas LS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6398742 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

The association between having a coordinator and return to work: the rapid-return-to-work cohort study.

Skarpaas Lisebet Skeie LS Haveraaen Lise Aasen LA Småstuen Milada Cvancarova MC Shaw William S WS Aas Randi Wågø RW

BMJ open 20190218 2

<h4>Objectives</h4>The aim of this study was to assess if the reported provision of a coordinator was associated with time to first return to work (RTW) and first full RTW among sick-listed employees who participated in different rapid-RTW programmes in Norway.<h4>Design</h4>The study was designed as a cohort study.<h4>Setting</h4>Rapid-RTW programmes financed by the regional health authority in hospitals and Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration in Norway.<h4>Participants</h4>The sample i ...[more]

PMID: 30782911

Similar Datasets

Project description:BACKGROUND:In return-to-work (RTW) programs, coordinators are often provided in order to integrate services. However, models of coordinating services vary widely internationally, and across different programs, where one distinction is between vertical and horizontal integration (i.e. between levels/institutions, or within one service/level). The aim of this study was therefore to explore and describe if and how a coordinator was provided in RTW-programs, and whether the provision of a coordinator was associated with certain personal or intervention characteristics. METHODS:The study was designed as a cohort study following employees participating in a variety of Rapid-RTW-programs in Norway (n?=?39). Employees (n?=?494) answered a self-administered questionnaire, which was linked to register-data on diagnoses and sickness-absence. Employees who replied yes/no to the question "Did the program provide a person who tailored or coordinated your services?" were included in this analysis. Associations for being provided with a coordinator were tested in adjusted logistic regression models. RESULTS:Sixty-nine percent of the employees reported having a coordinator. These coordinators were mainly responsible for coordinating treatment within own programs (i.e. horizontal coordination, 68%). As expected, rehabilitation programs more often provided a coordinator compared to treatment programs (OR 3.87 95% CI 2.42-6.24). The odds for being provided with a coordinator were reduced for each additional year of age of the employee (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96-0.99). More professions were involved in programs that provided coordinators, also more contact with other stakeholders like leaders and social insurance services (NAV), but only contact with supervisor remained statistically significant in adjusted analysis (OR 1.69 95% CI 0.31-9.27). The programs with a coordinator more often provided adaptations at the workplace for the individual employee (OR 0.08 95% CI 0.01-0.60). However, these signs of vertical integration were only evident for a limited number of employees. CONCLUSION:In this study, seven of ten employees reported to have a coordinator, which was associated with more professions and stakeholder involvement in the RTW-process. Most of these coordinators did not coordinate vertically between the service levels and types of intervention arenas for sick listed employees (i.e. workplace, social security, and health care services), as recommended in earlier research.

Project description:BACKGROUND: Many women suffer from health problems after giving birth, which can lead to sick leave. About 30% of Dutch workers are on sick leave after maternity leave. Structural contact of supervisors with employees on maternity leave, supported by early medical advice of occupational physicians, may increase the chances of return-to-work after maternity leave. In addition, to understand the process of sick leave and return-to-work after childbirth it is important to gain insight into which factors hinder return-to-work after childbirth, as well, as which prognostic factors lead to the development of postpartum health complaints. In this paper, the design of the Mom@Work study is described. METHODS: The Mom@Work study is simultaneously a randomised controlled trial and a cohort study. Pregnant women working for at least 12 hours a week at one of the 15 participating companies are eligible to participate. The supervisors of these pregnant employees are randomised at 35 weeks pregnancy into the intervention group or control group. During maternity leave, supervisors in the intervention group contact their employee six weeks after delivery using a structured interview. When employees do not expect to return to their jobs at the end of their scheduled maternity leave due to health problems, the supervisor offers early support of the occupational physician. Supervisors in the control group have no structural contact with their employees during maternity leave. Measurements take place at 30 weeks pregnancy and at 6, 12, 24 and 52 weeks postpartum. In addition, cost data are collected. For the RCT, primary outcome measures are sick leave and return-to-work, and secondary outcome measures are costs, health, satisfaction with intervention and global feelings of recovery. Outcome measures for the cohort are pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain, fatigue and depression. Finally, a number of prognostic factors for return-to-work and for the development of complaints will be measured. DISCUSSION: The Mom@Work study will provide important information about return-to-work of employees after giving birth. Results will give insight in prognosis of postpartum sick leave and complaints. Also, the role of supervisors and occupational physicians in successful return-to-work after childbirth will be clarified.

Project description:BackgroundSepsis survivors commonly experience functional impairment, which may limit return to work. We investigated return to work (RTW) of patients hospitalized with sepsis and the associations with patient and clinical characteristics.MethodsWorking-age patients (18-60 years) admitted to a Norwegian hospital with sepsis between 2010 and 2021 were identified using the Norwegian Patient Registry and linked to sick-leave data from the Norwegian National Social Security System Registry. The main outcome was proportion of RTW in patients hospitalized with sepsis at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after discharge. Secondary outcomes were time trends in age-standardized proportions of RTW and probability of sustainable RTW (31 days of consecutive work). The time trends were calculated for each admission year, reported as percentage change with 95% confidence interval (CI). Time-to-event analysis, including crude and adjusted hazard risk (HRs), was used to explore the association between sustainable RTW, characteristics and subgroups of sepsis patients (intensive care unit (ICU) vs. non-ICU and COVID-19 vs. non-COVID-19).ResultsAmong 35.839 hospitalizations for sepsis among patients aged 18-60 years, 12.260 (34.2%) were working prior to hospitalization and included in this study. The mean age was 43.7 years. At 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years post-discharge, overall estimates showed that 58.6%, 67.5%, and 63.4%, respectively, were working. The time trends in age-standardized RTW for ICU and non-ICU sepsis patients remained stable over the study period, except the 2-year age-standardized RTW for non-ICU patients that declined by 1.51% (95% CI - 2.22 to - 0.79) per year, from 70.01% (95% CI 67.21 to 74.80) in 2010 to 57.04% (95% CI 53.81-60.28) in 2019. Characteristics associated with sustainable RTW were younger age, fewer comorbidities, and fewer acute organ dysfunctions. The probability of sustainable RTW was lower in ICU patients compared to non-ICU patients (HR 0.56; 95% CI 0.52-0.61) and higher in patients with COVID-19-related sepsis than in sepsis patients (HR 1.31; 95% CI 1.15-1.49).ConclusionAbsence of improvement in RTW proportions over time and the low probability of sustainable RTW in sepsis patients need attention, and further research to enhance outcomes for sepsis patients is required.

Dataset Information

The association between having a coordinator and return to work: the rapid-return-to-work cohort study.

Objectives

Design

Setting

Participants

Interventions

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Results

Conclusions

Publications

The association between having a coordinator and return to work: the rapid-return-to-work cohort study.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets