Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26202039›Full record

Trial reportJournal of occupational rehabilitation2016

Early Workplace Communication and Problem Solving to Prevent Back Disability: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial Among High-Risk Workers and Their Supervisors.

Steven J Linton, Katja Boersma, Michal Traczyk, William Shaw, Michael Nicholas

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of occupational rehabilitation, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03993444 (Prevent Pain and Stress Related Sickleave.), which is not on this map. Cited by 44 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
44citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
9.0field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
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.

NCT03993444 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2019, after this paper: background citation

Prevent Pain and Stress Related Sickleave.

TypeinterventionalSponsorÖrebro University, SwedenRan2019 to 2022Enrolled182ConditionsStress, Psychological, PainArmscommunication and problem solving, psychoeducation
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

44 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 101 citations in OpenAlex.

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  17. Statistical Analysis of Absenteeism in a University Hospital Center between 2007 and 2019.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
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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 at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Steven J LintonDepartment of Law, Psychology, and Social Work, Center for Health and Medical Psychology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden. steven.linton@oru.se.
Katja BoersmaDepartment of Law, Psychology, and Social Work, Center for Health and Medical Psychology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
Michal TraczykDepartment of Law, Psychology, and Social Work, Center for Health and Medical Psychology, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
William ShawCenter for Disability Research, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Boston, MA, USA.
Michael NicholasPain Management Research Institute, University of Sydney at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
Örebro University · SELiberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety · USUniversity of Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose There is a clear need for interventions that successfully prevent the development of disability due to back pain. We hypothesized that an intervention aimed at both the worker and the workplace could be effective. Hence, we tested the effects of a new early intervention, based on the misdirected problem solving model, aimed at both workers at risk of long-term impairments and their workplace. Methods Supervisors of volunteers with back pain, no red flags, and a high score on a screen (Örebro Musculoskeletal Screening Questionnaire) were randomized to either an evidence based treatment as usual (TAU) or to a worker and workplace package (WWP). The WWP intervention included communication and problem solving skills for the patient and their immediate supervisor. The key outcome variables of work absence due to pain, health-care utilization, perceived health, and pain intensity were collected before, after and at a 6 month follow up. Results The WWP showed significantly larger improvements relative to the TAU for work absence due to pain, perceived health, and health-care utilization. Both groups improved on pain ratings but there was no significant difference between the groups. The WWP not only had significantly fewer participants utilizing health care and work absence due to pain, but the number of health care visits and days absent were also significantly lower than the TAU. Conclusions The WWP with problem solving and communication skills resulted in fewer days off work, fewer health care visits and better perceived health. This supports the misdirected problem solving model and indicates that screening combined with an active intervention to enhance skills is quite successful and likely cost-effective. Future research should replicate and extend these findings with health-economic analyses.

Indexed as

CommunicationOccupational HealthProblem SolvingWorkplaceAbsenteeismAdultBack PainFemaleHumansMaleOccupational DiseasesOrganization and AdministrationBack painCommunication skillsEarly interventionPreventionProblem solvingRandomized controlled trialScreeningWork absence

Identifiers

PMID26202039
PMCPMC4854941
OpenAlexW1042584663

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.