ArticleOccupational and environmental medicine2002
Ineffective disability management by doctors is an obstacle for return-to-work: a cohort study on low back pain patients sicklisted for 3-4 months.
Article in Occupational and environmental medicine, 2002. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Prognostic factors for work ability in sicklisted employees with chronic diseases.Occupational and environmental medicine · 2007Pooled it
- Process Evaluation of a Blended Web-Based Intervention on Return to Work for Sick-Listed Employees with Common Mental Health Problems in the Occupational Health Setting.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2017Trial
- Cost-effectiveness of a multifaceted implementation strategy for the Dutch multidisciplinary guideline for nonspecific low back pain: design of a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial.BMC public health · 2015Trial
- Effectiveness of a blended web-based intervention on return to work for sick-listed employees with common mental disorders: results of a cluster randomized controlled trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2015Trial
- Effectiveness of physical training for self-employed persons with musculoskeletal disorders: a randomized controlled trial.BMC public health · 2009Trial
- Multidisciplinary collaborative care for depressive disorder in the occupational health setting: design of a randomised controlled trial and cost-effectiveness study.BMC health services research · 2008Trial
- Multidisciplinary outpatient care program for patients with chronic low back pain: design of a randomized controlled trial and cost-effectiveness study [ISRCTN28478651].BMC public health · 2007Trial
- Cost effectiveness of a multi-stage return to work program for workers on sick leave due to low back pain, design of a population based controlled trial [ISRCTN60233560].BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2003Trial
- Bridging the Gap Between Rehabilitation and Return to Work: A Qualitative Evaluation of a Workplace Intervention for Low Back Pain.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2026Article
- The association between attitude, perceived norm, and perceived behavioral control with the provision of Clinical Work-Integrating Care: A reasoned action approach.PEC innovation · 2025Article
- Applying a knowledge translation framework for triaging low back pain and radicular pain at an emergency department: an iterative process within an uncontrolled before-and-after design.BMJ open quality · 2022Article
- Understanding the Needs and Priorities of People Living with Persistent Pain and Long-Term Musculoskeletal Conditions during the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Public Involvement Project.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Limitations to Work-Related Functioning of People with Persistent "Medically Unexplained" Physical Symptoms: A Modified Delphi Study Among Physicians.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2017Article
- Collaboration of occupational physicians with national health system and general practitioners in Italy.Industrial health · 2017Article
- Searching for consensus among physicians involved in the management of sick-listed workers in the Belgian health care sector: a qualitative study among practitioners and stakeholders.BMC public health · 2016Article
- Predictors of functional improvement and future work status after the disability benefit claim: a prospective cohort study.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2014Article
- Undergraduate teaching of occupational medicine in European schools of medicine.International archives of occupational and environmental health · 2014Article
- Optimal communication from occupational physicians to GPs: a cross-sectional survey.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2012Article
- Predicting return to work in workers with all-cause sickness absence greater than 4 weeks: a prospective cohort study.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2012Article
- Work disability prevention research: current and future prospects.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2011Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimsTo determine obstacles for return-to-work in disability management of low back pain patients sicklisted for 3-4 months.
methodsA cohort of 467 low back pain patients sicklisted for 3-4 months was recruited. A questionnaire was sent to their occupational physicians (OPs) concerning the medical management, obstacles to return-to-work, and the communication with treating physicians.
resultsThe OPs of 300 of 467 patients participated in this study. In many cases OPs regarded the clinical waiting period (43%), duration of treatment (41%), and view (25%) of the treating physicians as obstacles for return-to-work. Psychosocial obstacles for return-to-work such as mental blocks, a lack of job motivation, personal problems, and conflicts at work were all mentioned much less frequently by OPs. In only 19% of the patients was there communication between OP and treating physician. Communication almost always entailed an exchange of information, and less frequently an attempt to harmonise the management policy. Surprisingly communication was also limited, when OPs felt that the waiting period (32%), duration of treatment (30%), and view (28%) of treating physicians inhibited return-to-work. Communication was significantly associated with the following obstacles for return-to-work: passivity with regard to return-to-work and clinical waiting period; adjusted odds ratios were 3.35 and 2.23, respectively.
conclusionsMedical management of treating physicians is often an obstacle for return to work regarding low back pain patients sicklisted for 3-4 months, in the opinion of OPs. Nevertheless communication between OPs and the treating physicians in disability management of these patients is limited. More attention to prevention of absenteeism and bilateral communication is needed in medical courses.
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