title: Clients' perceptions of contact with professionals within healthcare and social insurance offices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  An increasing number of people interact with professionals within healthcare and social insurance offices during periods of sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders. Knowledge of clients' perceptions of such contact is scarce. This study analysed clients' perceptions of their contact with professionals within healthcare and social insurance offices.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort study was conducted in the municipality of Linköping, Sweden. Participants were all citizens who in 1985 were aged 25-34 years and had at least one new sick-leave spell due to back, neck, or shoulder diagnoses exceeding 28 days (n = 213). In 1996, 11 years after inclusion, a questionnaire about perception of contact with professionals, self-perceived health, and mental health was administered. Register data on sickness absence and disability pension from 1985-96 were also obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Factor analysis indicated the existence of three dimensions of contact with professionals: supportive treatment, distant treatment, and empowering treatment. Women perceived their contact with both social insurance officers and healthcare professionals as more supportive than did the men. Respondents with disability pensions perceived their contact with social insurance officers as more supportive and empowering than persons without disability pensions. Respondents with mental health problems perceived their contact with both types of professionals as more distant. Respondents with neck/shoulder diagnoses perceived their contact with healthcare professionals as more empowering than respondents with low back diagnoses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a relationship between clients' perceptions of contact with professionals and the sex, disability pension, diagnosis, and mental health of clients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Social Medicine and Public Health Science, Department of Health and Society, Linköpings Universitet, Sweden. gunnel.ostlund@ihs.liu.se
authors.forename: Gunnel M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Ostlund
authors.forename: Karin E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Borg
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wide
authors.forename: Gunnel K E
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Hensing
authors.forename: Kristina A E
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Alexanderson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D018582:Sick Leave; D012943:Social Security; D013548:Sweden