title: Prediction of return-to-work of low back pain patients sicklisted for 3-4 months.
abstract: The purpose of this Dutch prospective population-based study was to identify prognostic factors for return-to-work of employees with 3-4 months sick leave due to low back pain (LBP). A cohort of 328 employees was formed and baseline data were collected. One year after the first day of the sick leave, 91% of the original cohort participated in a second interview (n=298). During the baseline measurement, information was collected about health status, history of LBP, occupational variables, job characteristics and social economic variables. At the second interview, 66% of the employees had returned to work (n=198). Return-to-work was independently predicted by having a better general health status (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.30-1.80), having better job satisfaction (OR 1.26; 95% CI 1.11-1. 44), being a bread winner (OR 2.46; 95% CI 1.37-4.40), having a lower age (OR 0.70; 95% CI 0.52-0.93) and reporting less pain (OR 0. 85; 95% CI 0.73-0.99) all measured at cohort entry. This study shows that psycho-social aspects of health and work in combination with economic aspects have a significantly larger impact on return-to-work when compared to relatively more physical aspects of disability and physical requirements of the job. This suggests that interventions aimed at return-to-work of employees sicklisted with LBP should predominantly be focused on these psycho-social aspects such as health behavior and job satisfaction, and on the (lack of) economic incentives for return-to-work.
authors.affiliation: AS/tri (Work and Social Security) Research and Consultancy Group, Stationsweg 26, 2312 AV Leiden, The Netherlands Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, The Netherlands Department of Health Organization, Policy and Economics, Faculty of Health Science, University of Maastricht, Postbus 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anneke M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: van der Giezen
authors.forename: Lex M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Bouter
authors.forename: Frans J N
authors.initials: FJN
authors.lastname: Nijhuis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014937:Work / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*