Evidence map›Paper›PMID 22415602›Full record

ArticleJournal of occupational rehabilitation2012

Comparing current definitions of return to work: a measurement approach.

I A Steenstra, H Lee, E M M de Vroome, J W Busse, S J Hogg-Johnson

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of occupational rehabilitation, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
30citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

30 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  7. Workplace interventions to prevent work disability in workers on sick leave.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

I A SteenstraInstitute for Work and Health, 481 University Avenue, Suite 800, Toronto, ON, M5G 2E9, Canada. isteenstra@iwh.on.ca
H Lee
E M M de Vroome
J W Busse
S J Hogg-Johnson

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionReturn-to-work (RTW) status is an often used outcome in work and health research. In low back pain, work is regarded as a normal activity a worker should return to in order to fully recover. Comparing outcomes across studies and even jurisdictions using different definitions of RTW can be challenging for readers in general and when performing a systematic review in particular. In this study, the measurement properties of previously defined RTW outcomes were examined with data from two studies from two countries.

methodsData on RTW in low back pain (LBP) from the Canadian Early Claimant Cohort (ECC); a workers' compensation based study, and the Dutch Amsterdam Sherbrooke Evaluation (ASE) study were analyzed. Correlations between outcomes, differences in predictive validity when using different outcomes and construct validity when comparing outcomes to a functional status outcome were analyzed.

resultsIn the ECC all definitions were highly correlated and performed similarly in predictive validity. When compared to functional status, RTW definitions in the ECC study performed fair to good on all time points. In the ASE study all definitions were highly correlated and performed similarly in predictive validity. The RTW definitions, however, failed to compare or compared poorly with functional status. Only one definition compared fairly on one time point.

conclusionsDifferently defined outcomes are highly correlated, give similar results in prediction, but seem to differ in construct validity when compared to functional status depending on societal context or possibly birth cohort. Comparison of studies using different RTW definitions appears valid as long as RTW status is not considered as a measure of functional status.

Indexed as

Sick LeaveWorkWorkers' CompensationAdolescentAdultCanadaDisability EvaluationEmploymentFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansLow Back PainMaleMiddle AgedNetherlandsOccupational Diseases

Identifiers

PMID22415602

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.