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
. 2021 Nov;46(9):979-984.
doi: 10.1177/1753193420978631. Epub 2020 Dec 7.

Factors affecting return to work after surgical treatment of trapeziometacarpal joint osteoarthritis

Mark J W van der Oest  1   2   3 , Joris S Teunissen  1   2   4 , Ralph Poelstra  1   2   3 , Reinier Feitz  3 , Alex Burdorf  5 , Ruud W Selles  1   2 ; Hand-Wrist Study Group
Affiliations

Factors affecting return to work after surgical treatment of trapeziometacarpal joint osteoarthritis

Mark J W van der Oest et al. J Hand Surg Eur Vol. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

This study aimed to identify factors contributing to the timing of return to work after surgical treatment of trapeziometacarpal joint osteoarthritis and to calculate the costs of lost productivity. We included 627 patients with paid employment who underwent trapeziectomy and ligament reconstruction with tendon interposition. Time to return to work was measured through filling online questionnaires and analysed using survival analysis at 6 weeks and 3, 6 and 12 months after the surgery. Patients also filled in the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire. Costs of lost productivity were calculated using the human capital method. After 1 year, 78% of the patients returned to work. The median time to return to work was 12 weeks. Factors that significantly affected the time to return to work were occupational intensity (light, moderate or heavy physical labour), whether the dominant hand was treated and the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire work score and hand function score of the unoperated side at baseline. The costs of lost productivity were estimated at €11,000 on the patient level, resulting in €16.8 million on the Dutch population level per year.Level of evidence: II.

Keywords: Thumb base osteoarthritis; healthcare costs; return to work; surgical treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Kaplan–Meier plot of the overall return to work after surgery for trapeziometacarpal joint OA with a 95% confidence interval.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Kaplan–Meier plot of the return to work after surgery for trapeziometacarpal joint OA, stratified by different occupational intensities with corresponding 95% confidence intervals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Alexopoulos EC, Burdorf A. Prognostic factors for respiratory sickness absence and return to work among blue collar workers and office personnel. Occup Environ Med. 2001, 58: 246–52. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brendbekken R, Vaktskjold A, Harris A, Tangen T. Predictors of return-to-work in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a randomised clinical trial. J Rehabil Med. 2018, 50: 193–9. - PubMed
    1. Brouwer WB, Koopmanschap MA, Rutten FF. Productivity costs in cost-effectiveness analysis: numerator or denominator: a further discussion. Health Econ. 1997, 6: 511–4. - PubMed
    1. Burdorf A, Naaktgeboren B, Post W. Prognostic factors for musculoskeletal sickness absence and return to work among welders and metal workers. Occup Environ Med. 1998, 55: 490–5. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Burton RI, Pellegrini VD, Jr. Surgical management of basal joint arthritis of the thumb. Part ii. Ligament reconstruction with tendon interposition arthroplasty. J Hand Surg Am. 1986, 11: 324–32. - PubMed