Contact to a Physician Specialized in Social Medicine and Return to Work

Kirsten Fonager

Status: Completed

Conditions: Musculoskeletal Disease; Return to Work

Treatments: Other: Rehabilitation program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03010384

Reuma-2011

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a rehabilitation program including a physician specialized in social medicine parallel to treatment for suspected spinal disc herniation.

Full description

In a two-year time period (2011 to 2012) 443 patients of suspected of disc herniation and risk of low work ability - based on questionnaires participated in a randomized control trial. The patients were randomized to either the intervention group (n=220) or control group (n=223). The intervention group were invited to the Department of Social Medicine two to four weeks after their first contact to Department of Rheumatology for a consultation with a physician specialized in social medicine. Together with the patient a return-to-work (RTW) schedule was made to ascertain the need for contact to the workplace (to adjust work functions), municipality, general practitioner or short-term supportive consultations with a psychologist. Throughout the intervention, the patients received their usual treatment from the Department of Rheumatology like patients from the control group. Outcome was return to the work force at one year follow up using information from a national registry.

Enrollment: 443 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 59 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• age ≥ 18 and < 60 years old,
• not receiving disability pension and not on maternity leave.
• sick leave over the past year for more than ten days
• low self-rated work ability for the next two years
• health anxiety

Exclusion criteria

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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443 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention

Active Comparator group

Description:

Consultation with a physician specialized in social medicine. The consultation lasted about one hour. Together with the patient a return-to-work (RTW) schedule was made to ascertain the need for contact to the workplace (to adjust work functions), municipality, general practitioner or short-term supportive consultations with a psychologist. If relevant, patients were offered up till 5 sessions with a psychologist.

Treatment:

Other: Rehabilitation program

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Standard treatment from the Department of Rheumatology