The Danish national return-to-work program – aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluation
The Danish national return-to-work (RTW) program aims to improve the management of municipal sickness benefit in Denmark. A study is currently ongoing to evaluate the RTW program. The purpose of this article is to describe the study protocol. The program includes 21 municipalities encompassing appro...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH)
2012-03-01
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| Series: | Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: |
https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3272
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| _version_ | 1818925099851448320 |
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| author | Birgit Aust Trine Helverskov Maj Britt D Nielsen Jakob Bue Bjorner Reiner Rugulies Karina Nielsen Ole Henning Sørensen Gry Grundtvig Malene F Andersen Jørgen V Hansen Helle L Buchardt Lisbeth Nielsen Trine L Lund Irene Andersen Mogens H Andersen Aksel S Clausen Eskil Heinesen Ole Steen Mortensen John Ektor-Andersen Palle Ørbæk Glen Winzor Ute Bültmann Otto Melchior Poulsen |
| author_facet | Birgit Aust Trine Helverskov Maj Britt D Nielsen Jakob Bue Bjorner Reiner Rugulies Karina Nielsen Ole Henning Sørensen Gry Grundtvig Malene F Andersen Jørgen V Hansen Helle L Buchardt Lisbeth Nielsen Trine L Lund Irene Andersen Mogens H Andersen Aksel S Clausen Eskil Heinesen Ole Steen Mortensen John Ektor-Andersen Palle Ørbæk Glen Winzor Ute Bültmann Otto Melchior Poulsen |
| author_sort | Birgit Aust |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Danish national return-to-work (RTW) program aims to improve the management of municipal sickness benefit in Denmark. A study is currently ongoing to evaluate the RTW program. The purpose of this article is to describe the study protocol. The program includes 21 municipalities encompassing approximately 19 500 working-age adults on long-term sickness absence, regardless of reason for sickness absence or employment status. It consists of three core elements: (i) establishment of multidisciplinary RTW teams, (ii) introduction of standardized workability assessments and sickness absence management procedures, and (iii) a comprehensive training course for the RTW teams. The effect evaluation is based on a parallel group randomized trial and a stratified cluster controlled trial and focuses on register-based primary outcomes – duration of sickness absence and RTW – and questionnaire-based secondary outcomes such as health and workability. The process evaluation utilizes questionnaires, interviews, and municipal data. The effect evaluation tests whether participants in the intervention have a (i) shorter duration of full-time sickness absence, (ii) longer time until recurrent long-term sickness absence, (iii) faster full RTW, (iv) more positive development in health, workability, pain, and sleep; it also tests whether the program is cost-effective. The process evaluation investigates: (i) whether the expected target population is reached; (ii) if the program is implemented as intended; (iii) how the beneficiaries, the RTW teams, and the external stakeholders experience the program; and (iv) whether contextual factors influenced the implementation. The program has the potential to contribute markedly to lowering human and economic costs and increasing labor force supply. First results will be available in 2013. The trial registrations are ISRCTN43004323, and ISRCTN51445682. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T02:35:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fd5eba56e1c24629bd251181632076a9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0355-3140 1795-990X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T02:35:51Z |
| publishDate | 2012-03-01 |
| publisher | Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-fd5eba56e1c24629bd251181632076a92022-12-21T19:56:27ZengNordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH)Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health0355-31401795-990X2012-03-0138212013310.5271/sjweh.32723272The Danish national return-to-work program – aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluationBirgit Aust0Trine HelverskovMaj Britt D NielsenJakob Bue BjornerReiner RuguliesKarina NielsenOle Henning SørensenGry GrundtvigMalene F AndersenJørgen V HansenHelle L BuchardtLisbeth NielsenTrine L LundIrene AndersenMogens H AndersenAksel S ClausenEskil HeinesenOle Steen MortensenJohn Ektor-AndersenPalle ØrbækGlen WinzorUte BültmannOtto Melchior PoulsenNational Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lersø Parkalle 105, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.The Danish national return-to-work (RTW) program aims to improve the management of municipal sickness benefit in Denmark. A study is currently ongoing to evaluate the RTW program. The purpose of this article is to describe the study protocol. The program includes 21 municipalities encompassing approximately 19 500 working-age adults on long-term sickness absence, regardless of reason for sickness absence or employment status. It consists of three core elements: (i) establishment of multidisciplinary RTW teams, (ii) introduction of standardized workability assessments and sickness absence management procedures, and (iii) a comprehensive training course for the RTW teams. The effect evaluation is based on a parallel group randomized trial and a stratified cluster controlled trial and focuses on register-based primary outcomes – duration of sickness absence and RTW – and questionnaire-based secondary outcomes such as health and workability. The process evaluation utilizes questionnaires, interviews, and municipal data. The effect evaluation tests whether participants in the intervention have a (i) shorter duration of full-time sickness absence, (ii) longer time until recurrent long-term sickness absence, (iii) faster full RTW, (iv) more positive development in health, workability, pain, and sleep; it also tests whether the program is cost-effective. The process evaluation investigates: (i) whether the expected target population is reached; (ii) if the program is implemented as intended; (iii) how the beneficiaries, the RTW teams, and the external stakeholders experience the program; and (iv) whether contextual factors influenced the implementation. The program has the potential to contribute markedly to lowering human and economic costs and increasing labor force supply. First results will be available in 2013. The trial registrations are ISRCTN43004323, and ISRCTN51445682. https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3272 evaluationorganizational changeeconomic evaluationwork resumptiondesignlong-term sickness absencesickness absencereturn-to-workprocess evaluationrtweffect evaluationsickness absencereturn to workdenmarkintervention |
| spellingShingle | Birgit Aust Trine Helverskov Maj Britt D Nielsen Jakob Bue Bjorner Reiner Rugulies Karina Nielsen Ole Henning Sørensen Gry Grundtvig Malene F Andersen Jørgen V Hansen Helle L Buchardt Lisbeth Nielsen Trine L Lund Irene Andersen Mogens H Andersen Aksel S Clausen Eskil Heinesen Ole Steen Mortensen John Ektor-Andersen Palle Ørbæk Glen Winzor Ute Bültmann Otto Melchior Poulsen The Danish national return-to-work program – aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluation Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health evaluation organizational change economic evaluation work resumption design long-term sickness absence sickness absence return-to-work process evaluation rtw effect evaluation sickness absence return to work denmark intervention |
| title | The Danish national return-to-work program – aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluation |
| title_full | The Danish national return-to-work program – aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluation |
| title_fullStr | The Danish national return-to-work program – aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluation |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Danish national return-to-work program – aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluation |
| title_short | The Danish national return-to-work program – aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluation |
| title_sort | danish national return to work program aims content and design of the process and effect evaluation |
| topic | evaluation organizational change economic evaluation work resumption design long-term sickness absence sickness absence return-to-work process evaluation rtw effect evaluation sickness absence return to work denmark intervention |
| url |
https://www.sjweh.fi/show_abstract.php?abstract_id=3272
|
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