Does self-management for return to work increase the effectiveness of vocational rehabilitation for chronic compensated musculoskeletal disorders? - Protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Musculoskeletal disorders are common and costly disorders to workers compensation and motor accident insurance systems and are a leading contributor to the burden of ill-health. In Australia, vocational rehabilitation is provided to workers to assist them to stay in, or return to work.
Self-management training may be an innovative addition to improve health and employment outcomes from vocational rehabilitation.
Methods: The research plan contains mixed methodology consisting of a single blind randomised controlled trial, an economic evaluation and qualitative research. Participants (n=366) are volunteers with compensated musculoskeletal disorders of 3 months to 3 years in duration who were working at the time of the injury/onset of the chronic disorder.
The trial tests the effectiveness of usual vocational rehabilitation plus the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) to which two additional and newly-developed modules have been added, against vocational rehabilitation alone (control). The modules added to the CDSMP focus on how to navigate through compensation systems and manage the return to work process, and aim to be relevant to those in a vocational rehabilitation setting.The primary outcome is readiness for return-to-work which will be evaluated using the Readiness for Return-to-Work scale.
Secondary outcomes include health efficacy (heiQTM questionnaire, general health status (SF-12v2(R) Health Survey) and return-to-work status. Measures will be taken at baseline, immediately post-intervention and at 6 and 12 months post-intervention by an independent assessor.
An economic evaluation will compare the costs and outcomes between the intervention and control groups in terms of a cost-effectiveness and partial cost-benefit or cost analysis. The impact of the self-management return to work intervention will also be evaluated qualitatively, in terms of its acceptability to stakeholders.DiscussionThis article describes the protocol for a single blind randomized controlled trial with a one year follow-up.
The results will provide evidence for the addition or not of self-management training within vocational rehabilitation for chronic compensated musculoskeletal disorders.Trial RegistrationAustralia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12609000843257
Author: Niki EllisVenerina JohnstonSusan GargettAlison MacKenzieJennifer StrongMalcolm BattersbyRebecca McLeodKeith AdamGwendolen Jull
Credits/Source: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2010, 11:115
Published on: 2010-06-10
Copyright by the authors listed above - made available via BioMedCentral (Open Access). Please
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