Participatory ergonomics to reduce exposure to psychosocial and physical risk factors for low back pain and neck pain: results of a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: This study investigated the effectiveness of the Stay@Work participatory ergonomics programme to reduce workers' exposure to psychosocial and physical risk factors.

Methods: 37 departments (n=3047 workers) from four Dutch companies participated in this cluster randomised controlled trial; 19 (n=1472 workers) were randomised to an intervention group (participatory ergonomics) and 18 (n=1575 workers) to a control group (no participatory ergonomics). During a 6 h meeting guided by an ergonomist, working groups devised ergonomic measures to reduce psychosocial and physical workload and implemented them within 3months in their departments.

The history of registered sickness absence predicts future sickness absence.

Background: The history of sickness absence has been found to predict future sickness absence.

Aims: To establish the review period of historical sickness absence data that is needed to predict future sickness absence.

Methods: The individual number of days and episodes of sickness absence were ascertained for 762 hospital employees from 2004 to 2008 inclusive.

Relation between perceived health and sick leave in employees with a chronic illness.

Introduction: To improve work participation in individuals with a chronic illness, insight into the role of work-related factors in the association between health and sick leave is needed. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the contribution of work limitations, work characteristics, and work adjustments to the association between health and sick leave in employees with a chronic illness.

Methods: All employees with a chronic illness, between 15 and 65 years of age (n = 7,748) were selected from The Netherlands Working Conditions Survey.

The trend in total cost of back pain in The Netherlands in the period 2002 to 2007.

Study Design: Cost of illness study.

Objective: To investigate the total costs of back pain in The Netherlands over the years 2002 to 2007.

Summary Of Background Data: In 1991, the cost of back pain to the Dutch society was estimated at € 4.

Effect of integrated care for sick listed patients with chronic low back pain: economic evaluation alongside a randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the cost effectiveness, cost utility, and cost-benefit of an integrated care programme compared with usual care for sick listed patients with chronic low back pain.

Design: Economic evaluation alongside a randomised controlled trial with 12 months' follow-up.

Setting: Primary care (10 physiotherapy practices, one occupational health service, one occupational therapy practice) and secondary care (five hospitals) in the Netherlands, 2005-9.

Stereotyping of medical disability claimants' communication behaviour by physicians: towards more focused education for social insurance physicians.

Background: Physicians who hold medical disability assessment interviews (social insurance physicians) are probably influenced by stereotypes of claimants, especially because they have limited time available and they have to make complicated decisions. Because little is known about the influences of stereotyping on assessment interviews, the objectives of this paper were to qualitatively investigate: (1) the content of stereotypes used to classify claimants with regard to the way in which they communicate; (2) the origins of such stereotypes; (3) the advantages and disadvantages of stereotyping in assessment interviews; and (4) how social insurance physicians minimise the undesirable influences of negative stereotyping.

Methods: Data were collected during three focus group meetings with social insurance physicians who hold medical disability assessment interviews with sick-listed employees (i.

Determinants of physicians' communication behaviour in disability assessments.

Purpose: Knowledge about the determinants of communication behaviour of physicians during face-to-face consultations with patients might increase our understanding of communication behaviour, and provide insight into how training might be able to change their communication behaviour. For physicians who conduct work disability assessment interviews, referred to as 'social insurance physicians', communication with patients is their most important instrument. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the determinants of communication behaviour of social insurance physicians, by modelling the following constructs of the Theory of Planned Behaviour: attitudes, social influence, self-efficacy, skills, barriers and intentions concerning their communication with claimants in medical disability assessments.

Economic evaluation of a workplace intervention for sick-listed employees with distress.

Objectives: To evaluate the cost effectiveness, cost utility and cost benefit of a workplace intervention compared with usual care for sick-listed employees with distress.

Methods: An economic evaluation was conducted alongside a randomised controlled trial. Employees with distress and who were sick-listed for 2-8 weeks were randomised to a workplace intervention (n=73) or to usual care (n=72).

Process evaluation of a participatory ergonomics programme to prevent low back pain and neck pain among workers.

Background: Both low back pain (LBP) and neck pain (NP) are major occupational health problems. In the workplace, participatory ergonomics (PE) is frequently used on musculoskeletal disorders. However, evidence on the effectiveness of PE to prevent LBP and NP obtained from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is scarce.

What are possible barriers and facilitators to implementation of a Participatory Ergonomics programme?

Background: Low back pain (LBP) and neck pain (NP) are common among workers. Participatory Ergonomics (PE) is used as an implementation strategy to prevent these symptoms. By following the steps of PE, working groups composed and prioritised ergonomic measures, and developed an implementation plan.

Effective training strategies for teaching communication skills to physicians: an overview of systematic reviews.

Objective: Physicians need good communication skills to communicate effectively with patients. The objective of this review was to identify effective training strategies for teaching communication skills to qualified physicians.

Methods: PubMED, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and COCHRANE were searched in October 2008 and in March 2009.

A typology of sick-listed claimants to improve communication skills for social insurance physicians during medical disability assessment interviews.

Introduction: Role play with standardised simulated patients is often included in communication training. However, regarding physician-patient encounters in medical disability assessment interviews it is unclear what should be included in the scenarios for actors. The first objective of this study was to determine which types of medical disability claimants can be distinguished based on behavioural determinants.

The prognosis of chronic low back pain is determined by changes in pain and disability in the initial period.

Background Context: The recovery of patients with chronic low back pain (LBP) is slow. Furthermore, it is recently proposed that chronic LBP needs a prognostic approach to determine who will develop clinically significant back pain. Therefore, it is imperative to identify prognostic factors that are mostly seen in chronic LBP patients at an early stage.

Effectiveness of web-based interventions on patient empowerment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Patient empowerment is growing in popularity and application. Due to the increasing possibilities of the Internet and eHealth, many initiatives that are aimed at empowering patients are delivered online.

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate whether Web-based interventions are effective in increasing patient empowerment compared with usual care or face-to-face interventions.

Economic evaluations of occupational health interventions from a corporate perspective - a systematic review of methodological quality.

Objective: Using a standardized quality criteria list, we appraised the methodological quality of economic evaluations of occupational safety and health (OSH) interventions conducted from a corporate perspective.

Methods: The primary literature search was conducted in Medline and Embase. Supplemental searches were conducted in the Cochrane NHS Economic Evaluation Database, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) database, the Ryerson International Labour, Occupational Safety and Health Index, scans of reference lists, and researchers' own literature database.

A workplace intervention for sick-listed employees with distress: results of a randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a participatory workplace intervention compared with usual care for sick-listed employees with distress, with regard to return to work (RTW) within the 12-month follow-up.

Methods: Employees with distress and sick-listed for 2-8 weeks were randomised to a workplace intervention (n=73) or to usual care (n=72). The participatory workplace intervention is a stepwise process involving the sick-listed employee and their supervisor, aimed at reducing obstacles for RTW by reaching consensus about an action plan for RTW.

The effectiveness of physical and organisational ergonomic interventions on low back pain and neck pain: a systematic review.

Ergonomic interventions (physical and organisational) are used to prevent or reduce low back pain (LBP) and neck pain among workers. We conducted a systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on the effectiveness of ergonomic interventions. A total of 10 RCTs met the inclusion criteria.

Cost-effectiveness of a participatory return-to-work intervention for temporary agency workers and unemployed workers sick-listed due to musculoskeletal disorders: design of a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Within the working population there is a vulnerable group: workers without an employment contract and workers with a flexible labour market arrangement, e.g. temporary agency workers.

Randomised controlled trial of integrated care to reduce disability from chronic low back pain in working and private life.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated care programme, combining a patient directed and a workplace directed intervention, for patients with chronic low back pain.

Design: Population based randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Primary care (10 physiotherapy practices, one occupational health service, one occupational therapy practice) and secondary care (five hospitals).

Back pain and work.

Low back pain is a leading cause of work disability and constitutes a significant socioeconomic burden worldwide. In an attempt to stem the serious consequences of long-term disability, a new approach for back pain in primary care is being disseminated. It mainly focusses on identifying the relationship between pain/disability and work, recognising important workplace and psychosocial issues, providing patients reassuring messages about activity, facilitating the return to work process and engaging other resources as needed.

Recurrence of medically certified sickness absence according to diagnosis: a sickness absence register study.

Introduction: Sickness absence is a major public health problem. Research on sickness absence focuses on interventions aimed at expediting return to work. However, we need to know more about sustaining employees at work after return to work.

Can workers with chronic back pain shift from pain elimination to function restore at work? Qualitative evaluation of an innovative work related multidisciplinary programme.

Introduction: Workers with chronic low back pain (LBP) mean a heavy human and social-economic burden. Their medical histories often include different treatments without attention to work-relatedness or communication with occupational health providers, leaving them passive and medicalized in (outpatient) health care. So we developed and implemented an innovative, patient-activating alternative: the multidisciplinary outpatient care (MOC) programme, including work(place) intervention and graded activity.

Integrated, multidisciplinary care for hand eczema: design of a randomized controlled trial and cost-effectiveness study.

Background: The individual and societal burden of hand eczema is high. Literature indicates that moderate to severe hand eczema is a disease with a poor prognosis. Many patients are hampered in their daily activities, including work.