“Rework Program” in Japan: Innovative high‐level rehabilitation

Sick leave due to mental disorders is a societal problem. It carries a high cost in terms of loss of labor productivity and absenteeism. Partial remission increases the risk of relapse after a return to work. There is sometimes a difference between the ability to return to work as judged by a general practitioner (GP) and the needs of the workplace. GPs are the main controllers of treatment and tend to protect their patients. Communication and agreement by GPs and occupational physicians play an effective role in the return to work. However, it requires considerable effort for both of them to make time to do this. We have developed a concise set of files for a smooth return to work. The files consist of three parts: “Suggestions for corresponding with employees taking sick leave”; “Checklist for smooth return to work”; and “Pattern of living”. We put them into practice among 20 companies in Japan from January 2012 to October 2013. The companies had 8244 workers in total and 116 workers were on sick-leave due to mental disorders. Our set of files contributed to sharing the written basic policy of return to work among employees on sick leave with mental disorders, GPs, occupational physicians and personnel officers. That sharing led to facilitating a smooth return to work. Although there are differences in the legal and medical systems between Japan and other countries, our concept of sharing the written basic policy may give some help to occupational physicians in other parts of the world as well.

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“…They are commonly called “Rework Programs” (Akiyama et al 2010). Such programs involve outpatient occupational therapy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concise set of files for smooth return to work in employees with mental disorders

Yoshitsugu¹,

Kuroda²,

Hiroyama³

et al. 2013

SpringerPlus

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“…The RAPAS, which assesses readiness for returning to work, is used as an instrument to evaluate if a patient successfully completed a Rework Program [13]. A previous study suggested that this scale has good validity in predicting if an individual could successfully return to work and not relapse after returning [15].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Modification of cognitive behavioral characteristics and improving coping skills are required to promote mental health in patients with depressive disorders [13]. Therefore, the Rework Program, a groupcentered rehabilitation program, was developed to improve work readiness and prevent relapse of patients who take sick leave [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, the Rework Program, a groupcentered rehabilitation program, was developed to improve work readiness and prevent relapse of patients who take sick leave [13]. Although the Rework Program has spread rapidly within Japan due to the needs of individuals and the society, there is no standardized version of the program nor sufficient scientific evidence supporting the Rework Program's efficacy at this time [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, individuals in Japan are often asked to return to the same workplace following their sick leave. Consequently, there is a higher risk of relapse in this type of labor system, where the individual returns to work and experiences the same difficulties; their symptoms have been treated but their work environment has not changed [12,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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