title: Policy on professional support in return-to-work: Occupational health professionals' experiences in a Canadian setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Canada and other countries, sickness-based absences among workers is an economic and sociological problem. Return-to-work (RTW) policy developed by both employer and worker' representatives (that is, bipartite policy) is preferred to tackle this problem.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The intent was to examine how this bipartite agreed-upon RTW policy works from the perspective of occupational health professionals (those who deliver RTW services to workers with temporary or permanent disabilities) in a public healthcare organization in Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  In-depth interviews were held with 9 occupational health professionals and transcribed verbatim. A qualitative, social constructivist, analysis was completed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The occupational health professionals experienced four main problems: 1) timing and content of physicians' medical advice cannot be trusted as a basis for RTW plans; 2) legal status of the plans and thus needing workers' consent and managers' approval can create tension, conflict and delays; 3) limited input and thus little fruitful inference in transdisciplinary meetings at the workplace; and yet 4) the professionals can be called to account for plans.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bipartite representation in developing RTW policy does not entirely delete bottlenecks in executing the policy. Occupational health professionals should be offered more influence and their professionalism needs to be enhanced.
authors.affiliation: Care And Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maiwald
authors.affiliation: CAPHRI, Department of Health Ethics and Society, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meershoek
authors.affiliation: Care And Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Angelique
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Rijk
authors.affiliation: CAPHRI, Department of Work and Organizational Psychology, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frans J N
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Nijhuis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001955:British Columbia; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D005260:Female; D019981:Health Care Sector; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010559:Personnel Management; D036301:Qualitative Research; D062707:Return to Work / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D018582:Sick Leave; D013997:Time Factors; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration
keywords: Sickness absence; discretionary space; implementation; professionals’ perspective; return-to-work policy