A screening questionnaire to predict no return to work within 3 months for low back pain claimants

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to develop a short prediction questionnaire for estimating the risk of no return to work (RTW) within 3 months of sick leave to facilitate triage and management of a patient population of subacute low-back pain (LBP) sufferers. We conducted a prospective study with a 3-month follow-up on 186 patients with LBP introducing a claim for sickness benefits to the largest sickness fund in Belgium. Patients completed a screening questionnaire within 2 weeks after claim submission. All patients were invited for clinical assessment, at 6-8 weeks of sick leave, by the medical adviser. Patients' work status was recorded by the sickness fund. About 20% of the patients did not resume work at 3 months' sick leave. They were more likely to experience pain below the knee, to have an own previous prediction of a 100% no RTW and to have a severe interference of pain on daily activities. The screening tool based on these three items correctly classified 73.7% of the non-resumers and 78.4% of the resumers at a cut-off score of 0.22. The findings of this study provide evidence of the utility of a short screening questionnaire for future use in intervention studies in a social security setting.

Predictors of non-return to work 2 years post-injury in road traffic crash survivors: Results from the UQ SuPPORT study

“…The finding that expectations regarding RTW at baseline predict NRTW at 2 years is consistent with previous research in general injury cohorts [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] . This study is the first to demonstrate that this factor predicts RTW in a RTC cohort.…”

“…This suggests that developing a screening tool to detect individuals at risk of NRTW would be beneficial, since appropriate and effective interventions to increase the RTW rate could be offered. The two-item measure is short (5-10 minutes to complete) and simple to administer and answer, meaning that non-specialists can easily score the items and determine whether someone is at-risk of NRTW.The finding that expectations regarding RTW at baseline predict NRTW at 2 years is consistent with previous research in general injury cohorts [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] . This study is the first to demonstrate that this factor predicts RTW in a RTC cohort.…”

“…The most consistent predictor of RTW in broader injury samples was positive expectations at baseline regarding RTW in the future [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] . Other predictors of NRTW in broader injury samples included older age 18,19,[27][28][29][30][31] (but see 32,33 for conflicting results), lower levels of education 29,[34][35][36][37] , increased injury severity 27,30,34,38,39 (but see 40,41 for conflicting results), type of injury 28, 30, 35, 37 , returning to physical work tasks 28,34,40,42 , perceiving accident severity as severe 38,40,42 , higher baseline pain levels 18,27,30,37,39,43 , baseline mental health symptoms 27,39 , baseline posttraumatic stress 37,…”

The Mediating Role of Recovery Expectancies on the Relation Between Depression and Return-to-Work

“…In this domain of research, recovery expectancies have been broadly conceptualized as the injured individual's prediction of the likelihood of recovery [21][22][23]. Cole et al [19] reported that injured workers' expectations of slower recovery were consistently associated with longer duration of time loss claims.…”

A decade’s experience in lumbar spine surgery in Belgium: sickness fund beneficiaries, 2000–2009

“…A randomized controlled trial showed that LBP patients who were provided information and advice by the medical advisers of the Alliance of Christian Sickness Fund experienced a significantly higher return to work rate due to a low relapse rate [34]. A practical screening tool to identify patients at risk of long-term sick leave may further enhance cost-effectiveness [35]. In case of severe relapsing low back pain despite conservative treatment and when surgery is perceived as an invaluable option, intervention needs to be performed without undue delay [36][37][38].…”