Affiliations: Occupation and Environmental Medicine, Department of
Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden | Adaptus Rehab AB, Kristianstad, Sweden | Tollarp Primay Care Center, Tollarp, Sweden
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The aim was threefold: 1) to describe the experiences of
driving and implementing a workplace-based rehabilitation intervention in
cooperation with the occupational health service (OHS); 2) to investigate which
people received multimodal and/or vocational rehabilitation measures; 3) to
find predictors of return to work (RTW). PARTICIPANTS: Altogether 779 employees on sick leave for 90 days or
more with mainly musculoskeletal or psychological/stress-related problems, 90%
women. METHODS: The HAKuL model was introduced, implying an early team
assessment at the OHS and good access to rehabilitation measures. The study is
a prospective three-year study with a two-year follow-up. RESULTS: The rehabilitation intervention encountered challenges.
Counter-measures were taken to facilitate coordination and communication.
People with musculoskeletal problems often received both multimodal and
vocational rehabilitation. Vocational rehabilitation was advocated for people
who were under 55 years of age, and for those with stress-related problems. The
strongest predictive factors for RTW were: having received only vocational
rehabilitation and being under 45 years of age. CONCLUSION: The HAKuL model can be used in a wider context, but the
study shows the need for coordination between multiple stakeholders.
Supervisors should pay attention to people who have musculoskeletal problems
and are older, as soon as problems emerge.
Keywords: Vocational rehabilitation, return to work, team-work, multimodal, musculoskeletal, stress-related
