Short- and long-term changes in perceived work ability after interdisciplinary rehabilitation of chronic musculoskeletal disorders: prospective cohort study among 854 rehabilitants.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the changes in rehabilitants' perceived work ability after rehabilitation for chronic musculoskeletal disorders with respect to the baseline characteristics.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study based on register and repeated survey data.


METHODS
Public sector employees in ten towns and five hospital districts.


METHODS
A total of 854 employees who participated in the rehabilitation programme owing to common chronic musculoskeletal disorders between 1997 and 2009.


METHODS
Interdisciplinary, biopsychosocial, inpatient rehabilitation programme targeting people of working age with common chronic musculoskeletal disorders. The programme was executed in different rehabilitation centres across the country and funded by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland.


METHODS
Differences in perceived work ability level before and after rehabilitation. Data were derived from repeated surveys on average 2.1 years before rehabilitation, and 1.5 years (short-term follow-up) and 6.0 years (long-term follow-up) after rehabilitation.


RESULTS
Before the rehabilitation, perceived work ability was 7.13 (SD 1.84) among the rehabilitants and 7.27 (SD 1.72) in the matched reference population. Among rehabilitants, this figure decreased by 0.82 (95% confidence interval -0.98 to -0.67) in the short-term and by 1.26 (95% confidence interval -1.45 to -1.07) in the long-term follow-up. Only slight differences in steepness of this deterioration were observed between subgroups, created based on the participants' baseline characteristics.


CONCLUSIONS
Perceived work ability of participants, in an interdisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation programme for common musculoskeletal disorders, deteriorated regardless of any studied pretreatment characteristics. The improvement of work ability may be an unrealistic goal for participants in this type of rehabilitation.
Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland mikhail.saltychev@gmail.com.
Mikhail
M
Saltychev
Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Turku University Hospital and University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Katri
K
Laimi
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland.
Jaana
J
Pentti
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Mika
M
Kivimäki
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland Department of Public Health, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
Jussi
J
Vahtera
D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010465:Perception; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational / Q000379:methods*; D062707:Return to Work / Q000523:psychology*; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation
Work ability; perceived work ability; predictors; prospective study; rehabilitation goal; work ability index; work disability