Trial reportJournal of rehabilitation medicine2022
Barriers to applying for medical rehabilitation: a time-to-event analysis of employees with severe back pain in Germany.
Trial report in Journal of rehabilitation medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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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
5 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- The transition from medical to vocational rehabilitation in Germany: an exploratory mixed methods study on rehabilitants' experiences.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Article
- Challenges in the transition between medical and vocational rehabilitation: a qualitative focus group study with service providers in Germany.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- [Determinants of use of rehabilitation services before entering disability pension: Time series analysis of insured members of the German Pension Insurance Federation in Berlin and Brandenburg].Gesundheitswesen (Bundesverband der Arzte des Offentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes (Germany)) · 2024Article
- Effectiveness of a screening tool to assess prevention and rehabilitation needs of 45 to 59 years old in primary care - study protocol of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (PReHa45).BMC health services research · 2023Article
- A comprehensive diagnostic service to clarify intervention needs when work participation is at risk: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial (GIBI, DRKS00027577).BMC health services research · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveLongitudinal studies on barriers to applying for rehabilitation in Germany are lacking in light of the suspected underutilization of rehabilitation services. The aim of this study was to examine application behaviour in persons with disabling back pain and to identify relevant predictors for making an application.
designA prospective cohort study with randomized sampling of insurants in the German Pension Insurance, using a questionnaire at baseline and follow-up with linked administrative data for 1.5 years. SUBJECTS/PATIENTS: Employed persons (age range 45-59 years) with a high degree of limitations due to back pain and a self-reported risk of permanent work disability (not applied for disability pension, no medical rehabilitation within the last 4 years).
methodsMultivariable Cox regression was used to examine the influence of pre-selected variables on making an application in the follow-up period.
resultsOf 690 persons, only 12% applied for rehabilitation. Predictors for making an application were: support from physicians (hazard ratio (HR)=2.24; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.32-3.80), family, and friends (HR=1.67; 95% CI 1.02-2.73), more pain-related disability days (HR=1.02; 95% CI 1.01-1.03), and worse work ability (HR=0.86; 95% CI 0.75-0.97). An intention to apply at baseline mediated the effect of family and physician support on the application.
conclusionThe low number of applications for rehabilitation despite disabling back pain indicates access barriers to, and underuse of, medical rehabilitation.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.