Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38265609›Full record

ArticleJournal of occupational rehabilitation2024

Evaluating Effectiveness of Telerehabilitation Services Among Injured Workers Treated in a Canadian Workers' Compensation System: A Population-Based Study.

Katelyn Brehon, Gagan Nagra, Maxi Miciak, Riikka Niemeläinen, Douglas P Gross

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Article in Journal of occupational rehabilitation, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 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

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
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.

Katelyn BrehonFaculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. brehon@ualberta.ca.ORCID 0000-0002-0023-4451
Gagan NagraFaculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Maxi MiciakFaculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-4686-9206
Riikka NiemeläinenWorkers' Compensation Board of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-2816-1573
Douglas P GrossFaculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-2427-6277

Funding

Workers' Compensation Board - Alberta RES0058588
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo evaluate the effectiveness of telerehabilitation for promoting return-to-work (RTW) among injured workers.

methodsWe conducted a pragmatic, quasi-experimental study comparing telerehabilitation, in-person, or hybrid services. Descriptive statistics analyzed demographics, occupational factors, and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Kruskal-Wallis tests investigated differences between mode of delivery and changes in PROM scores. Logistic and Cox-proportional hazard regression examined associations between mode of delivery and RTW status or days receiving wage replacement benefits in the first-year post-discharge, respectively, while controlling for potential confounders.

resultsA slightly higher percentage of the 3,708 worker sample were male (52.8%). Mean (standard deviation (SD)) age across all delivery formats was 45.5 (12.5) years. Edmonton zone had the highest amount of telerehabilitation delivery (53.5%). The majority of workers had their program delivered in a hybrid format (54.1%) and returned to work (74.4%) at discharge. All PROMs showed improvement although differences across delivery formats were not clinically meaningful. Delivery via telerehabilitation had significantly lower odds of RTW at discharge (Odds Ratio: 0.82, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.70-0.97) and a significantly lower risk of experiencing suspension of wage replacement benefits in the first year following discharge (Hazard Ratio: 0.92, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.84-0.99). Associations were no longer significant when confounders were controlled for.

conclusionRTW outcomes were not statistically different across delivery formats, suggesting that telerehabilitation is a novel strategy that may improve equitable access and earlier engagement in occupational rehabilitation. Factors such as gender and geographic location should be considered when deciding on service delivery format.

Indexed as

Occupational InjuriesReturn to WorkTelerehabilitationWorkers' CompensationAdultCanadaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPatient Reported Outcome MeasuresCompensation and redressRehabilitationReturn-to-workService deliveryVirtual care

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.