Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2014 Apr 16:14:368.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-368.

Occupational rehabilitation programs for musculoskeletal pain and common mental health disorders: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Marius S Fimland  1 , Ottar Vasseljen, Sigmund Gismervik, Marit By Rise, Vidar Halsteinli, Henrik B Jacobsen, Petter C Borchgrevink, Hanne Tenggren, Roar Johnsen
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Occupational rehabilitation programs for musculoskeletal pain and common mental health disorders: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Marius S Fimland et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Long-term sick leave has considerably negative impact on the individual and society. Hence, the need to identify effective occupational rehabilitation programs is pressing. In Norway, group based occupational rehabilitation programs merging patients with different diagnoses have existed for many years, but no rigorous evaluation has been performed. The described randomized controlled trial aims primarily to compare two structured multicomponent inpatient rehabilitation programs, differing in length and content, with a comparative cognitive intervention. Secondarily the two inpatient programs will be compared with each other, and with a usual care reference group.

Methods/design: The study is designed as a randomized controlled trial with parallel groups. The Social Security Office performs monthly extractions of sick listed individuals aged 18-60 years, on sick leave 2-12 months, with sick leave status 50% - 100% due to musculoskeletal, mental or unspecific disorders. Sick-listed persons are randomized twice: 1) to receive one of two invitations to participate in the study or not receive an invitation, where the latter "untouched" control group will be monitored for future sick leave in the National Social Security Register, and 2) after inclusion, to a Long or Short inpatient multicomponent rehabilitation program (depending on which invitation was sent) or an outpatient cognitive behavioral therapy group comparative program. The Long program consists of 3 ½ weeks with full rehabilitation days. The Short program consists of 4 + 4 full days, separated by two weeks, in which a workplace visit will be performed if desirable. Three areas of rehabilitation are targeted: mental training, physical training and work-related problem solving. The primary outcome is number of sick leave days. Secondary outcomes include time until full sustainable return to work, health related quality of life, health related behavior, functional status, somatic and mental health, and perceptions of work. In addition, health economic evaluation will be performed, and the implementation of the interventions, expectations and experiences of users and service providers will be investigated with different qualitative methods.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01926574.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Design of the study. ACT: Comparative outpatient Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Rehabilitation group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. OECD. Sickness, disability and work: breaking the barriers. A synthesis of findings across OECD countries. OECD Publishing: Paris; 2010.
    1. Palmer KT, Harris EC, Linaker C, Barker M, Lawrence W, Cooper C, Coggon D. Effectiveness of community- and workplace-based interventions to manage musculoskeletal-related sickness absence and job loss: a systematic review. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2012;51(2):230–242. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/ker086. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vermeulen SJ, Anema JR, Schellart AJ, Knol DL, van Mechelen W, van der Beek AJ. A participatory return-to-work intervention for temporary agency workers and unemployed workers sick-listed due to musculoskeletal disorders: results of a randomized controlled trial. J Occup Rehabil. 2011;21(3):313–324. doi: 10.1007/s10926-011-9291-7. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jensen C, Jensen OK, Christiansen DH, Nielsen CV. One-year follow-up in employees sick-listed because of low back pain: randomized clinical trial comparing multidisciplinary and brief intervention. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2011;36(15):1180–1189. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181eba711. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lambeek LC, van Mechelen W, Knol DL, Loisel P, Anema JR. Randomised controlled trial of integrated care to reduce disability from chronic low back pain in working and private life. BMJ. 2010;340:c1035. doi: 10.1136/bmj.c1035. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data