Trial reportJournal of occupational rehabilitation2006
Economic evaluation of a multi-stage return to work program for workers on sick-leave due to low back pain.
Trial report in Journal of occupational rehabilitation, 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 121 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of the Participatory Approach on Return-to-Work of Sick-Listed Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- What are cost-effective ergonomics interventions for prevention and management of occupational musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review of economic evaluation studies.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Workplace Interventions in Return-to-Work for Musculoskeletal, Pain-Related and Mental Health Conditions: An Update of the Evidence and Messages for Practitioners.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2018Pooled it
- Return-to-work coordination programmes for improving return to work in workers on sick leave.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Effectiveness of very early workplace interventions to reduce sickness absence: a systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2016Pooled it
- Estimating productivity costs using the friction cost approach in practice: a systematic review.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2016Pooled it
- The effect of journal impact factor, reporting conflicts, and reporting funding sources, on standardized effect sizes in back pain trials: a systematic review and meta-regression.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2015Pooled it
- Workplace interventions to prevent work disability in workers on sick leave.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015Pooled it
- Effectiveness of community- and workplace-based interventions to manage musculoskeletal-related sickness absence and job loss: a systematic review.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2012Pooled it
- Trial
- Cost-Effectiveness of a Multi-faceted Workplace Intervention to Reduce Musculoskeletal Pain in Nursing Staff: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial (INTEVAL_Spain).Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2025Trial
- Early occupational intervention for people with low back pain in physically demanding jobs: A randomized clinical trial.PLoS medicine · 2019Trial
- Structured physiotherapy including a work place intervention for patients with neck and/or back pain in primary care: an economic evaluation.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2019Trial
- Effectiveness of three interventions for secondary prevention of low back pain in the occupational health setting - a randomised controlled trial with a natural course control.BMC public health · 2018Trial
- A participatory supportive return to work program for workers without an employment contract, sick-listed due to a common mental disorder: an economic evaluation alongside a randomized controlled trial.BMC public health · 2017Trial
- Cost-effectiveness of providing patients with information on managing mild low-back symptoms in an occupational health setting.BMC public health · 2016Trial
- Trial
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- Effect of integrated care for sick listed patients with chronic low back pain: economic evaluation alongside a randomised controlled trial.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2010Trial
- Coordinated and tailored work rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial with economic evaluation undertaken with workers on sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2009Trial
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo evaluate the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of a return to work (RTW) program for workers on sick-leave due to low back pain (LBP), comparing a workplace intervention implemented between 2 to 8 weeks of sick-leave with usual care, and a clinical intervention after 8 weeks of sick-leave with usual care.
designEconomic evaluation alongside a randomised controlled trial (RCT). STUDY POPULATION: Workers sick-listed for a period of 2 to 6 weeks due to LBP.
interventions1. workplace assessment, work modifications and case management). 2. physiotherapy based on operant behavioural principles. 3. usual care: provided by an occupational physician. OUTCOMES: The primary outcome was return to work (RTW). Other outcomes were pain intensity, functional status, quality of life and general health. The economic evaluation was conducted from a societal perspective. Outcomes were assessed at baseline (after 2-6 weeks on sick-leave), and 12 weeks, 26 weeks, and 52 weeks after the first day of sick-leave.
resultsThe workplace intervention group returned to work 30.0 days (95% CI=[3.1, 51.3]) earlier on average than the usual care group at slightly higher direct costs (ratio of 1 day: 19 euro). Workers in the clinical intervention group that had received usual care in the first 8 weeks returned to work 21.3 days (95% CI= [-74.1, 29.2]) later on average. The group that had received the workplace intervention in the first 8 weeks and the clinical intervention after 8 weeks returned to work 50.9 days (95% CI=[-89.4, -2.7]) later on average. A workplace intervention was more effective than usual care in RTW at slightly higher costs and was equally effective as usual care at equal costs on other outcomes. A clinical intervention was less effective than usual care and associated with higher costs.
conclusionThe workplace intervention results in a safe and faster RTW than usual care at reasonable costs for workers on sick-leave for two to six weeks due to LBP.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.