Contact to a Physician Specialized in Social Medicine and Return to Work

Contact to a Physician Specialized in Social Medicine and the Impact on Return to Workforce in Patients Suspected of Disc Herniation? - a Randomized Controlled Trial

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a rehabilitation program including a physician specialized in social medicine parallel to treatment for suspected spinal disc herniation.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Musculoskeletal Disease; Return to Work
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Rehabilitation program

Detailed Description

In a two-year time period (2011 to 2012) 443 patients of suspected of disc herniation and risk of low work ability - based on questionnaires participated in a randomized control trial. The patients were randomized to either the intervention group (n=220) or control group (n=223). The intervention group were invited to the Department of Social Medicine two to four weeks after their first contact to Department of Rheumatology for a consultation with a physician specialized in social medicine. Together with the patient a return-to-work (RTW) schedule was made to ascertain the need for contact to the workplace (to adjust work functions), municipality, general practitioner or short-term supportive consultations with a psychologist. Throughout the intervention, the patients received their usual treatment from the Department of Rheumatology like patients from the control group. Outcome was return to the work force at one year follow up using information from a national registry.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 443
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 59 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• age ≥ 18 and < 60 years old,
• not receiving disability pension and not on maternity leave.
• sick leave over the past year for more than ten days
• low self-rated work ability for the next two years
• health anxiety

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Intervention; Consultation with a physician specialized in social medicine. The consultation lasted about one hour. Together with the patient a return-to-work (RTW) schedule was made to ascertain the need for contact to the workplace (to adjust work functions), municipality, general practitioner or short-term supportive consultations with a psychologist. If relevant, patients were offered up till 5 sessions with a psychologist.	Other: Rehabilitation program
No Intervention: Control; Standard treatment from the Department of Rheumatology

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Return to Work (register based information)	one year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Kirsten Fonager

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): July 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 6, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 3, 2017
• First Posted (Estimate): January 5, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): January 5, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 3, 2017
• Last Verified: January 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Musculoskeletal Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: Reuma-2011