Elements of Return-to-Work Interventions for Workers on Long-Term Sick Leave: A Systematic Literature Review.

Purpose: The aim of this systematic review is to identify vocational rehabilitation (VR) interventions that are effective to enhance return-to-work (RTW) for people on long-term sick leave (> 90 days) and to identify main elements of these interventions.

Methods: Six electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies published up to February 2022. Each article was screened independently by two different reviewers.

Tailored vocational rehabilitation for people with a work disability pension in The Netherlands; an in-depth data analysis of the content and outcomes of vocational rehabilitation trajectories of the Social Security Institute.

Purpose: People with a work disability pension receive vocational rehabilitation (VR) services from the Dutch Social Security Institute (SSI) in order to facilitate return-to-work (RTW). The SSI offers tailored VR existing of two trajectories (aimed at getting fit for work or aimed at returning to work). The purpose of this study is to describe the current practice of VR.

Needs, expectations, facilitators, and barriers among insurance physicians related to the use of eHealth in their work: results of a survey.

Purpose: To determine needs, expectations, facilitators, and barriers of insurance physicians (IPs) for using eHealth in their work. Also, we investigated differences between age groups.

Materials And Methods: All insurance physicians employed at the Dutch Social Security Institute (SSI) received an online anonymous survey in July 2020.

A Decision Aid to Support Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals Offering Tailored Care to Benefit Recipients with a Long-Term Work Disability: A Feasibility Study.

Purpose: This feasibility study focusses on the implementation and use of a decision aid, which supports vocational rehabilitation (VR) professionals in helping clients with a disability pension return to work in practice. The decision aid shows an overview of the clients' return to work barriers and suggests suitable VR interventions based on these barriers.

Methods: The study population consisted of VR professionals working at the Dutch Social Security Institute and their clients receiving a (partial) work disability pension.

Return to work factors and vocational rehabilitation interventions for long-term, partially disabled workers: a modified Delphi study among vocational rehabilitation professionals.

Background: Long-term disability has a great impact on both society and workers with disabilities. Little is known about the barriers which prohibit workers with long-term disabilities from returning to work and which interventions are best suited to counteract these barriers. The main purpose of this study was to obtain consensus among professionals on important return to work (RTW) factors and effective vocational rehabilitation (VR) interventions for long-term (> 2 years), partially disabled workers.

Predicting Long-Term Sickness Absence and Identifying Subgroups Among Individuals Without an Employment Contract.

Purpose Today, decreasing numbers of workers in Europe are employed in standard employment relationships. Temporary contracts and job insecurity have become more common. This study among workers without an employment contract aimed to (i) predict risk of long-term sickness absence and (ii) identify distinct subgroups of sick-listed workers.

Preferences regarding the way of use and design of a work ability prognosis support tool: a focus group study among professionals.

Purpose: To explore the preferable way of use and design of a work ability prognosis support tool for insurance physicians (IPs) and labour experts (LEs), based on a prediction model for future changes in work ability among individuals applying for a work disability benefit.

Methods: We conducted three focus groups with professionals of the Dutch Social Security Institute (17 IPs and 7 LEs). Data were audio recorded and qualitatively analysed according to the main principles of thematic analysis.

Predicting future changes in the work ability of individuals receiving a work disability benefit: weighted analysis of longitudinal data.

Objectives Weighted regression procedures can be an efficient solution for cohort studies that involve rare events or diseases, which can be difficult to predict, allowing for more accurate prediction of cases of interest. The aims of this study were to (i) predict changes in work ability at one year after approval of the work disability benefit and (ii) explore whether weighted regression procedures could improve the accuracy of predicting claimants with the highest probability of experiencing a relevant change in work ability. Methods The study population consisted of 944 individuals who were granted a work disability benefit.

Characteristics of individuals receiving disability benefits in the Netherlands and predictors of leaving the disability benefit scheme: a retrospective cohort study with five-year follow-up.

Background: Today, work disability is one of the greatest social and labour market challenges for policy makers in most OECD countries, where on average, about 6% of the working-age population relies on disability benefits. Understanding of factors associated with long-term work disability may be helpful to identify groups of individuals at risk for disability benefit entitlement or continuing eligibility, and to develop effective interventions for these groups. The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the main diagnoses of workers who qualify for disability benefits and how these diagnoses differ in age, gender and education.

Communication skills training for physicians performing work disability assessments increases knowledge and self-efficacy: results of a randomised controlled trial.

Purpose: It was assessed whether a post-graduate communication skills training course would increase physicians' competence and knowledge with regard to communication during work disability assessment interviews, and would change the determinants of their communication behaviour.

Methods: A randomised controlled trial was performed. At baseline and at follow-up, 42 physicians completed questionnaires.

Systematic development of a communication skills training course for physicians performing work disability assessments: from evidence to practice.

Background: Physicians require specific communication skills, because the face-to-face contact with their patients is an important source of information. Although physicians who perform work disability assessments attend some communication-related training courses during their professional education, no specialised and evidence-based communication skills training course is available for them. Therefore, the objectives of this study were: 1) to systematically develop a training course aimed at improving the communication skills of physicians during work disability assessment interviews with disability claimants, and 2) to plan an evaluation of the training course.

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.

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 theoretical framework to describe communication processes during medical disability assessment interviews.

Background: Research in different fields of medicine suggests that communication is important in physician-patient encounters and influences satisfaction with these encounters. It is argued that this also applies to the non-curative tasks that physicians perform, such as sickness certification and medical disability assessments. However, there is no conceptualised theoretical framework that can be used to describe intentions with regard to communication behaviour, communication behaviour itself, and satisfaction with communication behaviour in a medical disability assessment context.