Affiliations: [a] Department of Rheumatology and Institute of Physical Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland | [b] Department of Rheumatology, University Medical Centre Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Kathrin Meyer, MPH, Institute of Physical Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Gloriastrasse 25, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland. Tel.: +41 1 255 24 84; Fax: +41 1 255 43 88; E-mail: katharina.meyer@usz.ch
Abstract: Objective:To investigate the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial in a usual clinical setting and the effect of work rehabilitation on improvement to the ability to work in chronic pain patients. Design:33 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, valid job contracts and absence from work, random allocation. The interdisciplinary work rehabilitation contained work-specific exercises and education and lasted 8 weeks, 3.5 hours each working day. The control treatment took place with the allocating physician, who received recommendations concerning physical therapy and the uptake of work. Assessments took place at 0, 8 and 32 weeks. Measurements: ability to work, actual work status in % of a full time job, functional capacity tasks measured in kilograms. Results:Feasibility: the recruitment was of a long duration due to the rather restrictive inclusion criteria. Actual work status: the improvement between the groups was not significantly different, but the ability to work improved significantly from an overall median of 0% to 50% at 8 weeks (p=0.004 for the intervention group, p=0.026 for the control group). Conclusions:The evaluation of a running work rehabilitation programme in a clinical outpatient setting in clinical science is feasible, but a more effective recruitment strategy for a main study is favoured by application of a multi-centric or company based setting.
Keywords: Rehabilitation, vocational, musculoskeletal diseases, pain, evidence-based practice
