The Danish national return-to-work program - aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluation

Birgit Aust; Trine Helverskov; Maj Britt D. Nielsen; Jakob Bjørner; Reiner Ernst Rugulies; Karina Nielsen; Ole H. 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 M. Poulsen

doi:10.5271/sjweh.3272

The Danish national return-to-work program - aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluation

Birgit Aust, Trine Helverskov, Maj Britt D. Nielsen, Jakob Bjørner, Reiner Ernst Rugulies, Karina Nielsen, Ole H. 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 ØrbækGlen Winzor, Ute Bültmann, Otto M. Poulsen

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Abstract

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 (v) 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.

Original language	English
Journal	Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health
Volume	38
Issue number	2
Pages (from-to)	120-133
Number of pages	14
ISSN	0355-3140
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3272
Publication status	Published - Mar 2012

Keywords

Denmark
Female
Humans
Male
Occupational Health
Occupational Therapy
Organizational Innovation
Program Development
Program Evaluation
Questionnaires
Registries
Sick Leave
Work Capacity Evaluation

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Aust_2012_The_Danish_nationalFinal published version, 316 KBLicence: CC BY

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Aust, B., Helverskov, T., Nielsen, M. B. D., Bjørner, J., Rugulies, R. E., Nielsen, K., Sørensen, O. H., Grundtvig, G., Andersen, M. F., Hansen, J. V., Buchardt, H. L., Nielsen, L., Lund, T. L., Andersen, I., Andersen, M. H., Clausen, A. S., Heinesen, E., Mortensen, O. S., Ektor-Andersen, J., ... Poulsen, O. M. (2012). The Danish national return-to-work program - aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluation. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 38(2), 120-133. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3272

Aust, B, Helverskov, T, Nielsen, MBD, Bjørner, J , Rugulies, RE, Nielsen, K, Sørensen, OH, Grundtvig, G, Andersen, MF, Hansen, JV, Buchardt, HL, Nielsen, L, Lund, TL, Andersen, I, Andersen, MH, Clausen, AS, Heinesen, E, Mortensen, OS, Ektor-Andersen, J, Ørbæk, P, Winzor, G, Bültmann, U & Poulsen, OM 2012, 'The Danish national return-to-work program - aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluation', Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 120-133. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3272

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title = "The Danish national return-to-work program - aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluation",

abstract = "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 (v) 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.",

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AU - Aust, Birgit

AU - Helverskov, Trine

AU - Nielsen, Maj Britt D.

AU - Bjørner, Jakob

AU - Rugulies, Reiner Ernst

AU - Nielsen, Karina

AU - Sørensen, Ole H.

AU - Grundtvig, Gry

AU - Andersen, Malene F.

AU - Hansen, Jørgen V.

AU - Buchardt, Helle L.

AU - Nielsen, Lisbeth

AU - Lund, Trine L.

AU - Andersen, Irene

AU - Andersen, Mogens H.

AU - Clausen, Aksel S.

AU - Heinesen, Eskil

AU - Mortensen, Ole Steen

AU - Ektor-Andersen, John

AU - Ørbæk, Palle

AU - Winzor, Glen

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N2 - 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 (v) 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.

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KW - Program Evaluation

KW - Questionnaires

KW - Registries

KW - Sick Leave

KW - Work Capacity Evaluation

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DO - 10.5271/sjweh.3272

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JO - Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health

JF - Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health

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ER -

The Danish national return-to-work program - aims, content, and design of the process and effect evaluation

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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