Assessment of Activity Limitations, a Basis for Understanding the Need for Sickness Certificate and Rehabilitation

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Assessment of activity limitations, SDO and DOA: The assessment is made with two instruments (DOA, SDO), and finally the occupational therapist includes the analysis and summary of activity limitations to the sickness certificate. For comparative reasons the participant will answer to a sociodemographic questionnaire focusing on work situation and sick leave

Control group: All assessments concerning activity limitations are made using usual routines, primarily by the sick-listing physician. For comparative reasons the participant will answer to a sociodemographic questionnaire focusing on work situation and sick leave

Study summary

In Sweden mental disorders have the highest proportion of sickness absence and sickness spells. One cause for this is proposed as the lack of knowledge on which activity limitations that have an impact on the ability to return to work. Further, there is a knowledge gap concerning the effect of which early measures from the health system, assessments and early rehabilitation interventions, that enables return to work. Such early measures have been proposed to have a more multidimensional perspective, than to solely focus on specific tasks during a work situation.

The aim of the current project is to examine the effect of an early assessment of activity limitations, made by occupational therapists within specialized psychiatric care, at the time for the next prolonged sickness certification. The assessment will be included in the sickness certificate, and results will be compared between the intervention group and a control group. The results are calculated for differences on treatment measures, prevalence of questions from the Social Insurance Agency and changes in the patterns for sick leave spells. Further, the prevalence of activity limitations and the sick listed participants assessments of the effect of the intervention will be presented.

The results are expected to lead to more adequate interventions for the individual regarding support to return to work, better routines for assessment and rehabilitation within the health care system, which in turn can facilitate decisions for sickness benefits and further have an impact on the long sick leave spells concerning mental disorders.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Health care treatments — 6 months after inclusion
  Differences in types of healthcare treatment options between intervention and control group. Comparisons will be made between intervention and control group with regard to registered codes for intervention and codes for professionals responsible for treatment options. Descriptive calculations and comparisons will be made on differences in types of as well as changes in treatment measures within the notified time frame.
• Changes in sick leave patterns — 6 months after inclusion
  Differences in number of sick leave periods, full-time or part-time or number of sick leave spells between intervention and control group.
• Number of questions from the Social Insurance Agency (SIA) — 6 months after inclusion
  Differences in number of clarifying questions from SIA between intervention and control group.

Trial sites (1)

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