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
. 2023 Jul 29;61(4):269-274.
doi: 10.2486/indhealth.2022-0072. Epub 2022 May 19.

A hospital-based return-to-work programme in Singapore

Mei Ling Tan  1   2 , Elliot Eu  1 , Benjamin Wei DA Yap  3 , Wei Xiang Er  4 , Su Xian Tan  5 , John Wah Lim  2 , Wee Hoe Gan  2
Affiliations

A hospital-based return-to-work programme in Singapore

Mei Ling Tan et al. Ind Health. .

Abstract

Return to Work (RTW) programmes have become imperative in manpower scarce countries. This paper describes a RTW programme in a Singapore tertiary hospital, reports patient outcomes and discusses the practicality and effectiveness of the programme. Seventy-three workers participated in the programme over a two-year period. A statistically significant increase in work ability and self-perceived overall health status from first contact with worker (baseline) to discharge was observed. Continued programme participation till first RTW was associated with higher work ability and self-perceived overall health status at baseline. The RTW Coordinator-anchored multidisciplinary model which provided holistic support to the worker and addressed stakeholder interests were central to the programme's success. Greater awareness of RTW programme benefits will improve sustained participation. Our RTW programme features, implementation experiences and participant reported effectiveness may inform the development of improved return to work models.

Keywords: Coordination; Health performance indicators; Injury; Occupational fitness; Occupational health; Occupational rehabilitation; Performance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Return to work ecosystem.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
a. Changes in health-related outcomes over the RTW programme, from baseline to first RTW to discharge—work ability. b. Changes in health-related outcomes over the RTW programme, from baseline to first RTW to discharge—self-perceived overall health status. c. Changes in health-related outcomes over the RTW programme, from baseline to first RTW to discharge—pain score at activity. d. Changes in health-related outcomes over the RTW programme, from baseline to first RTW to discharge—self-efficacy. RTW: return to work.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
a. Comparison of baseline factors between participants who remained in the program at first RTW and participants who had dropped out—baseline work ability. Remained in the program, median=6, IQR=2.0. Dropped out, median=5, IQR=2.0. U=326, p=0.016. b. Comparison of baseline factors between participants who remained in the program at first RTW and participants who had dropped out—baseline self-perceived overall health status. Remained in the program, median=70, IQR=20. Dropped out, median=60, IQR=22.5. U=341, p=0.038. RTW: return to work; IQR: interquartile range.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Tan J, Yulianti, Phan H. (2017) Aging workforce—cost and productivity challenges of ill health in Singapore. https://www.mercer.com.sg/content/dam/marsh/Documents/PDF/asia/en_asia/A.... Accessed February 17, 2022.
    1. Bernacki EJA, Guidera JA, Schaefer JA, Tsai S. (2000) A facilitated early return to work program at a large urban medical center. J Occup Environ Med 42, 1172–7. - PubMed
    1. Tan HSK, Yeo DSC, Giam JYT, Cheong FWF, Chan KF. (2016) A randomized controlled trial of a Return-to-Work Coordinator model of care in a general hospital to facilitate return to work of injured workers. Work 54, 209–22. - PubMed
    1. Proper KI, Koning M, van der Beek AJ, Hildebrandt VH, Bosscher RJ, van Mechelen W. (2003) The effectiveness of worksite physical activity programs on physical activity, physical fitness, and health. Clin J Sport Med 13, 106–17. - PubMed
    1. Young AE, Wasiak R, Roessler RT, McPherson KM, Anema JR, van Poppel MNM. (2005) Return-to-work outcomes following work disability: stakeholder motivations, interests and concerns. J Occup Rehabil 15, 543–56. - PubMed