Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Return to Work”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Perception differences between groups of employees identifying the factors that influence a return to work after a work-related musculoskeletal injury.

Employee health and productivity losses as a result of work-related injury are estimated to be US dollars 1.2 trillion annually to US companies. This is approximately 14.3% of the gross domestic product [6,8,11,35]. Workers' compensation, medical care, and short and long-term disability are a part of these costs. Controlling or eliminating these costs is a problem for US employers [3,6,14,21,29]. The study discussed in this article examined the perceptions of manufacturing employees in identifying factors that influence a return to work after a work-related musculoskeletal injury. The classification of employees who participated in this study were safety professionals, supervisors and workers from the manufacturing industry in central Kentucky. The worker group consisted of material handlers, assembly line workers and quality control inspectors. The participants completed a developed survey instrument, the Return to Work Perception Survey. This survey instrument examined the perception of the participants on factors related to return to work: company policies and procedures, job satisfaction, worker relationships and work environment. The results indicated safety professionals and supervisors perceptions differ from workers on the variables of job satisfaction, worker relationships and work environment. Their perceptions did not differ on the variable relating to company policies and procedures. In addition, the safety professional and supervisor groups rated the items addressing job satisfaction higher than did the worker group. The worker group did not differ from one another on any of the factors. Implications of this study for manufacturing companies suggest (a). identifying those issues contributing to employee job satisfaction, (b). developing a plan for achieving increased job satisfaction and employee recognition at the workplace among all workers, and (c). consider allowing employees to develop new capacities and new learning, thus fostering motivation and job satisfaction [18,20].

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Factors conditioning the return to work of upper limb amputees in Asturias, Spain.

Reintegration into a social and work environment, as the final objective rehabilitation therapy, is one of the greatest challenges faced in this speciality. The aim of this study was to analyse the reintegration into the workforce of 43 upperlimb amputees in Asturias, Spain (1,100,000 inhabitants) whose amputations were as a result of accidents at work. For this purpose various factors related to their return to work were studied. The most important factor was the year in which the amputation was carried out, since reintegration was more likely to occur in those amputees whose accident at work took place before the 1980s.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1992

Factors influencing return to work after aortocoronary bypass surgery.

Factors influencing the effect on employment status were investigated in 250 patients (males: females 224:26) who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery between March 1983 and November 1985. The median age at operation was 57.9 (range 36.6-69.4) years and the median follow-up time 32 (19-52) months. Preoperatively 149 patients (59.6%) were receiving sick pay or disability pension because of their heart disease. Only 64 (25.6%) were gainfully employed, in contrast to 97 (38.8%) at follow-up. Of those who were working at the time of operation, all but eight returned to work postoperatively. At follow-up 183 (80.3%) were free from symptoms or much improved, with degree of improvement somewhat greater in those who were working postoperatively. The period of sick leave and the preoperative waiting time were significantly shorter for patients who were working postoperatively than for those who were awarded disability pension. Age, previous myocardial infarction, duration of preoperative angina and type of work were also found to influence postoperative employment status.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1996

Barriers to return to work among persons unemployed due to arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To identify barriers to return to work (RTW) among persons likely to be seen in a clinician's practice who are unemployed due to arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders. METHODS: Two hundred eighteen persons unemployed due to arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders were interviewed at baseline and followed up for 1 year, at which time their work status was ascertained. Backward stepwise logistic regression was used to determine the association of baseline clinical, sociodemographic, and work-related factors to their work status at 1 year of followup. RESULTS: Fifty-one (24%) of 216 initially unemployed subjects had returned to permanent paid employment of > or = 20 hours/week after 1 year. Having rheumatoid arthritis, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) status, a high pain level, older age, and lower education were barriers to reemployment. CONCLUSION: This study establishes the importance of chronic pain and having rheumatoid arthritis as factors independently associated with failure to RTW among persons unemployed due to arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders. The importance of SSDI beneficiary status, age, and education level in RTW is further confirmed. Duration of unemployment or previous work factors were not predictors of RTW in this group.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Return to work after foot and ankle injury.

A surgeon faces important issues when returning a patient to the workplace, including workers' compensation issues and the need for physician guidance. These patients deserve appropriate diagnosis and treatment protocols, and the other members of the workers compensation treatment team can help maximize the effects of careful guidance by a physician. The speediest possible return to the workplace is usually best for all concerned, the injured worker, the employer and the physician. The treatment team within the workers' compensation system assists in the facilitation and coordination of the medical care and assists in bringing the patient back to work. The team includes the nurse case manager, the insurer, and physical and occupational therapists. Appropriate use of work hardening programs or functional capacity evaluations can be valuable in the return-to-work effort. Physicians who make use of these resources may find it easier to guide this process efficiently to achieve the desired outcome of return to work of the injured worker.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2004

[Functional recovery and return to work in the young patient after a stroke].

INTRODUCTION: There are few works that study the functional recovery of young patients after suffering cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and even fewer works that study work reincorporation. Our aim is to evaluate these two aspects in the middle term in the young adults who have suffered a stroke and also to establish the factors that can influence a better prognosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our work is a cross-sectional descriptive study of 111 patients aged between 15 and 55 years who have been discharged from our Hospital with a CVD diagnosis during the years 1999-2000. We have collected the following data from the clinical records: age, gender, type, location and reason for the CVD, vascular risk factors, complications in the process, with or without rehabilitation treatment and treatment description. By means of telephone interview, we obtained functional recovery with the Barthel Index (BI) and Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) as well as study level, marital status and pre and poststroke labor situation, loss of friends, loss of recreational activities and finally, sequels after the discharge. RESULTS: Functional recovery for daily activities (IB >or= 90) was good in 78 % of the patients, this being 72.1 % if we assess their global handicap (MRS <or= 2). Almost 80 % of the patients were working before the stroke, however, this decreased to only 50.2 % after the stroke. We have observed better functional recovery and return to work in ischemic stroke and in patients without vascular risk factors, in both cases without statistical significance (SS). We discovered an inverse relationship between age and functional recovery, measured by IB and a direct relationship with MRS, both of them with SS. We have also found SS between IB and the MRS and in those patients who returned to work compared to those who remained in an invalid situation. A total of 22.5 % of the patients reported loss of friends after the stroke, and there was SS in those who presented worst functional recovery. Finally, 57 % left previous recreational activities, there being no change in the marital status in most of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Three quarter of cases achieved good functional recovery with reincorporation to work in half of the patients. Sociofamiliar integration was acceptable. As predictors of a good prognosis, we found subarachnoid hemorrhage, absence of vascular risk factors and low age when the stroke occurred.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

The reality of returning to work and training: experiences from a long-term unemployment project.

A project called Pathway-to-Work was carried out in northern Finland between 1995 and 1998. In the course of this project, tailored return-to-work paths were planned for 140 long-term unemployed people with disabilities. The present study, based on that project, had three research objectives: (i) to describe how the participants experienced and defined their opportunities of employment and training at the beginning of the project and how the opportunities were eventually realized; (ii) to form a model of the issues that influenced the participants' decision making on the basis of their descriptions of their life situation; and (iii) to look for elements in the progression of the project that could explain the outcome in terms of the participants' situation in the labour market. The research design was composed of three parts: eight in-depth interviews, a register follow-up, and comparison with a matched control group. Comparative content analysis was used to process the in-depth interviews. The outcome was evaluated according to the following variables: (i) the changes in the participants' labour market situation during the 2-year follow-up; (ii) the changes in the participants' distress level, perceived competence, and sense of coherence during the intervention. We found that the participants had not decided whether to return to work but had left this decision to the professional working on the project. The way participants described their life situations and opportunities made it clear that they placed high expectations on the project. However, although they could realistically estimate their own potential, the labour-market situation was beyond their predictive vision. We conclude that, when targeting services to groups such as described here, more attention should be paid to understanding the clients' behaviour and the social circumstances in which they live.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Worker perceptions of organizational support and return-to-work policy: associations with post-injury job satisfaction.

This study evaluates the psychometric properties of an industry-based employee measure of employer responses to injuries (i.e., organizational support and return-to-work policies) and explores the relationship of these variables to post-injury job satisfaction. Survey data were collected from 1438 employees with work-related injuries in 13 construction companies and 13 transportation companies. Factor analyses supported the two-factor structure of the scale, and both organizational support and return-to-work policies were independently associated with post-injury job satisfaction. The results suggest a need for understanding organizational responses to injuries, employee perceptions of injury response, and the impact of both on organizational outcomes.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The INTERMED questionnaire for predicting return to work after a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program for chronic low back pain.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the performance of the INTERMED questionnaire score, alone or combined with other criteria, in predicting return to work after a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain. METHODS: The INTERMED questionnaire is a biopsychosocial assessment and clinical classification tool that separates heterogeneous populations into subgroups according to case complexity. We studied 88 patients with chronic low back pain who followed an intensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation program on an outpatient basis. Before the program, we recorded the INTERMED score, radiological abnormalities, subjective pain severity, and sick leave duration. Associations between these variables and return to full-time work within 3 months after the end of the program were evaluated using one-sided Fisher tests and univariate logistic regression followed by multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: The univariate analysis showed a significant association between the INTERMED score and return to work (P<0.001; odds ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.86-0.96). In the multivariate analysis, prediction was best when the INTERMED score and sick leave duration were used in combination (P=0.03; odds ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.25-0.93). CONCLUSION: The INTERMED questionnaire is useful for evaluating patients with chronic low back pain. It could be used to improve the selection of patients for intensive multidisciplinary programs, thereby improving the quality of care, while reducing healthcare costs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Time to return to work and physical activity following open radical retropubic prostatectomy.

PURPOSE: We identified factors that predict return to part-time and full-time work and resumption of unlimited physical activity following open radical retropubic prostatectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between July 1, 2002 and February 28, 2005, 537 men with clinically localized prostate cancer underwent open radical retropubic prostatectomy, as performed by a single surgeon. Intraoperative, perioperative and postoperative parameters were recorded in real time and entered into a database. An assessment was made 1 and 3 months postoperatively regarding time to return to work and unrestricted physical activity. RESULTS: Of the men 50% returned to part-time and full-time work, and unrestricted activity within 14, 21 and 30 days after discharge home, respectively. Patient age and hematocrit at hospital discharge significantly predicted return to part-time and full-time work, and unlimited physical activity. The number of days that the urinary catheter was indwelling was also associated with return to part-time work. Occupation (blue vs white collar) and marital status were also associated with return to full-time work. In the multivariate model a unit increase in hematocrit decreased the time to return to part-time and full-time work, and unrestricted physical activity by 0.50, 0.60 and 0.59 days, respectively. Men with discharge hematocrit greater than 32% were 1.57 (p = 0.059), 1.65 (p = 0.041) and 2.03 (p = 0.002) times more likely to return to part-time and full-time work, and unlimited activity before 14, 21 and 30 days, respectively. Overall models were developed that accounted for 9.4%, 14.0% and 4.0% of the time to return to part-time work, full-time work and unrestricted physical activity, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to increase discharge hematocrit by minimizing intraoperative blood loss or using preoperative blood management strategies and earlier removal of the urinary catheter have a favorable impact on the return to work and physical activity.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Implications of potential cure in acute myelogenous leukemia: development of subsequent cancer and return to work.

Chemotherapy produces extended remissions, and potential cures, in a small minority of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We explored whether potentially cured patients were at increased risk of subsequent invasive cancer and were able to return to work. Potentially cured patients were defined as those in first or second complete remission (CR) for at least 3 years based on hazard rates for recurrence or death in CR, which declined sharply after this time. Patients who received allogeneic marrow transplant were excluded. We used questionnaires, phone contact, and chart review to obtain information about subsequent cancer and work status. The number of patients who developed invasive cancer was compared with the number expected based on age, gender, and years of follow-up using the Connecticut Tumor Registry. A total of 215 patients met our criteria for potential cure: 203 in first CR and 12 in second CR (of 1,663 treated between 1965 and December, 1992). At a median of 9.2 years from first or second CR, 163 (76%) remain alive in CR. Fifteen patients developed 18 invasive cancers (expected number of patients, 8.8; observed/expected, 1.70; 95% CI, 0.96 to 2.84; P = . 06). Patients initially treated between 1973 to 1979, patients above the potentially cured cohort's median age of 40 years, and those who presented with abnormalities of chromosomes 5 and/or 7 were more likely to develop subsequent cancer, whereas the observed/expected ratio for younger patients was 1.05 (95% CI, 0.13 to 3.80; P = .56). Seventy-four percent of the patients who were working full-time and who were under age 50 at time of treatment for AML have been working full-time in the last 6 months. Only 17 of 56 patients who are currently not working cited physical limitation as the reason. Patients with potentially cured AML are likely to be able to return to work, and at least if younger do not, on average, have an increased risk of invasive cancer.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1989

Use of return-to-work medical clearance data for health surveillance.

The US Department of Energy's Health Surveillance System pilot project attempts to monitor the occurrence of major morbidity among active workers through return-to-work medical clearance data. Anecdotal information has suggested that salaried and wage-earning employees differ in compliance with medical clearance policy. Personnel data regarding illness absences among one contractor's employees were used to identify 216 illness absences eligible for medical clearance and medical records were reviewed to determine whether return-to-work clearance had been obtained. Although compliance improved with increasing duration of absence among both salaried and wage-earning employees, overall it was significantly higher among wage-earning than salaried employees.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2001

Prognostic factors for respiratory sickness absence and return to work among blue collar workers and office personnel.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze factors that determine the occurrence of sickness absence due to respiratory disorders and the time it takes to return to work. METHODS: A longitudinal study with 2 year follow up was conducted among 326 male blue collar and white collar workers. The survey started with an interview on respiratory complaints and spirometry. Sixty six (21%) workers were lost to follow up. Complete data on sickness absence among 251 workers during the follow up were collected from absence records and self reports. Regression analysis based on a proportional hazards model was applied to identify risk factors for the occurrence and duration of sickness absence due to respiratory disorders. RESULTS: During the follow up 35% workers attributed at least one period of sickness absence to respiratory complaints, which accounted for 14.2% of all days lost. A history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) did not predict sickness absence for COPD; the same was true for chronic non-specific lung disease (CNSLD). Complaints about asthma contributed significantly to absence due to asthma (relative risk (RR) 3.96; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.99 to 7.90). Job title was a significant predictor of sickness absence due to respiratory complaints. Decrease in forced vital capacity (FVC, <80% of the reference value) was also a significant predictor of absence due to asthma (RR 4.03; 95% CI 1.41 to 11.54) and of respiratory absence (RR 2.49; 95% CI 1.07 to 5.79). Absence with respiratory complaints was not associated with age, height, body mass index, or smoking. Duration of employment was a weak almost significant predictor against respiratory absenteeism (RR 0.94; 95% CI 0.91 to 0.97). Return to work after respiratory absence was worse for blue collar workers than office personnel (RR 5.74; 95% CI 1.90 to 17.4 for welders, and RR 6.43; 95% CI 2.08 to 19.85 for metal workers). CONCLUSIONS: Asthmatic complaints in the 12 months before the study were associated with sickness absence for these complaints during the follow up. An abnormal level of FVC also influenced respiratory absenteeism. Blue collar workers had more often and more prolonged absences due to respiratory disorders than white collar workers. Workers with absence due to respiratory complaints were at higher risk of subsequent sickness absence in the next year.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1995

Return to work after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

To assess whether the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy has led to a change in attitude regarding the resumption of normal activities after operation, the views of 407 general practitioners (GPs) and 532 patients were analysed. Although 99 per cent of GPs thought that laparoscopic cholecystectomy represented an improvement on the open operation, 55 per cent advised significant restrictions in the postoperative period. For the 231 patients in employment who had an uncomplicated laparoscopic procedure the mean time of return to work was 3.3 weeks. Although 47 per cent of patients returned to work within 2 weeks, 19 per cent took more than 4 weeks. The self-employed returned significantly earlier than employees. Education through better communication among hospital, general practitioners and patients is required if prevailing attitudes towards the length of convalescence after laparoscopic cholecystectomy are to change.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Return to work, sexual activity, and other activities after acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: (1) To examine the effects of exercise alone and the additional benefit of a teaching-counseling program with exercise when compared with usual medical and nursing care on the rate of return to previous activities, and (2) to describe the rates of return to former activities of daily living after an acute myocardial infarction. DESIGN: Prospective randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Seven Northwestern hospitals. SAMPLE: 258 patients, 70 years of age or younger, with the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, admitted to coronary care units of participating hospitals. OUTCOME MEASURES: Return to work, sexual activity, driving, previous maximum level of activity, and activities out of the home. INTERVENTION: Subjects were randomly assigned to control group A, which received usual medical and nursing care; group B1, which received usual care plus exercise; or group B2, usual care plus exercise plus teaching-counseling sessions. Home exercise programs were prescribed for patients in groups B1 and B2. Those in group B2 also participated in the outpatient teaching-counseling program that consisted of eight group sessions pertaining to risk factor reduction and psychosocial adjustment to myocardial infarction. All subjects completed Activity Summary Questionnaires, a 12-item self-report paper and pencil questionnaire about the week's activity, each week, for 12 consecutive weeks, and at week 24 after hospital discharge. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the three groups. Previously employed patients who returned to work did so by week 24. Patients who returned to their previous maximum level of activity resumed by week 24. Most patients returned to sexual activity, driving, and activities out of the house by week 12. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of return to activities were not significantly different between the three groups. Most patients were active earlier than previously reported. Over 50% of patients returned to sexual activity, driving, and outdoor activities by 3 weeks after acute myocardial infarction. These results are useful for health care professionals who counsel patients about expectations in activity resumption.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

Predicting return to work after brain injury using occupational therapy assessments.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of occupational therapy assessments used in an outreach rehabilitation programme to predict return to work after brain injury. The assessments represent the ICIDH-2 levels of body function and activity. METHOD: Fifty-six persons in a late phase after brain injury who had been admitted to the rehabilitation programme during 2 years were followed up according to work status. The follow up was made at a minimum of 2 years after injury. Demographic data and scores from the occupational therapy assessments were compared for the two groups who were back to work or studies (BTW) and not back to work or studies (NBTW). RESULTS: Assessments of memory, visual perception and apraxia separated between the two groups BTW and NBTW. Logistic regression showed that memory score in combination with data on PADL made up the best predictive model. In a subgroup with 21 persons where data on IADL were added to memory and PADL the predictive value was even stronger. CONCLUSIONS: In this study we found that occupational therapy assessments were valuable in predicting failure to return to work or studies after brain injury.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Barriers to returning to work for people with spinal cord injuries: a focus group study.

The rate of employment for people with spinal cord injuries is relatively low, especially among Asians. To help individuals with spinal cord injuries return to work or retain employment, rehabilitation professionals must understand the barriers to employment and intervene to reduce or remove them. Hence, a focus group study was administered to 16 people with spinal cord injuries to explore return to work barriers. Various ideas, beliefs, responses, and values at different stages of work resettlement were elicited from both employed and unemployed participants, and then summarized. According to the results, several modifications of existing forms of rehabilitation intervention are necessary, as are further research directions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Occupational categories and return to work after traumatic brain injury: a multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: To further evaluate determinants of return to work (RTW) after traumatic brain injury (TBI), with focus on the relation between preinjury occupational category and RTW outcome. DESIGN: Prospective collaborative cohort study. SETTING: Seventeen National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research-designated Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive sample of 1341 patients (age range, 18-62y) who were hospitalized with a TBI diagnosis, received both acute neurotrauma services and inpatient rehabilitation services, consented to participate, were employed before injury, and completed a 1-year follow-up assessment. INTERVENTION: An inpatient interdisciplinary brain injury rehabilitation program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Competitive employment at 1 year postinjury. RESULTS: Participants were categorized into 1 of 3 groups depending on preinjury occupational title: professional/managerial (n=192), skilled (n=751), or manual labor (n=398). Chi-square analyses were computed to examine changes across occupation groups between preinjury occupation group and postinjury RTW. The rate of successful RTW was greatest for professional/managerial (56%), lower for skilled (40%), and lowest for manual labor (32%), yielding an odds ratio of 2.959 between the highest and lowest groups. Of those with successful RTW, most did so within the same occupational category grouping. A multiple logistic regression showed that preinjury occupation, education level, discharge FIM score, age, sex, marital status, and hospital length of stay each influenced RTW. CONCLUSIONS: Prior research has shown that preinjury employment status (employed vs unemployed) greatly influences the odds of successful RTW after TBI. A related hypothesis, that occupational classification also influences RTW outcome, has been understudied and has yielded conflicting results. The current study shows convincingly that the type of occupation influences RTW outcome, with the best prospect for RTW among people with professional/managerial jobs. Occupational category should be examined in the future development of predictive models for RTW after TBI.

Adult↗