title: The long-term prediction of return to work following serious accidental injuries: a follow up study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Considerable indirect costs are incurred by time taken off work following accidental injuries. The aim of this study was to predict return to work following serious accidental injuries.
  
  
  METHODS
  121 severely injured patients were included in the study. Complete follow-up data were available for 85 patients. Two weeks post trauma (T1), patients rated their appraisal of the injury severity and their ability to cope with the injury and its job-related consequences. Time off work was assessed at one (T2) and three years (T3) post accident. The main outcome was the number of days of sick leave taken due to the accidental injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients' appraisals a) of the injury severity and b) of their coping abilities regarding the accidental injury and its job-related consequences were significant predictors of the number of sick-leave days taken. Injury severity (ISS), type of accident, age and gender did not contribute significantly to the prediction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Return to work in the long term is best predicted by the patients' own appraisal of both their injury severity and the ability to cope with the accidental injury.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatrische Dienste Aargau AG, Baden, Switzerland. Urs.Hepp@pdag.ch
authors.forename: Urs
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hepp
authors.forename: Hanspeter
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moergeli
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buchi
authors.forename: Helke
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bruchhaus-Steinert
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sensky
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schnyder
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003289:Convalescence / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011336:Probability; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000523:psychology*