To define the most important factors for the work participation of the young disabled according t... more To define the most important factors for the work participation of the young disabled according to experts. A Delphi study was conducted with internet questionnaires. Health-related, personal and environmental factors known from literature were presented to insurance physicians and labour experts. The experts assessed whether a factor was important for the work participation of the young disabled. New factors added by the experts in the first round were assessed in the second round. Factors assessed as important by at least 80% of the experts were input for the last round, in which the experts chose the ten most important factors. Participation included 156 experts in the first round and 91 experts in the last round. They selected 44 of 92 factors as important. Severity of limitations, type of limitations and motivation were placed by more than 55% of the experts on their top-ten list to be assessed in a plan to help the young disabled participate in work. Severity and type of limitations and motivation are considered to be the most important factors for the work participation of the young disabled and should be included in a participation plan.
Objective: To explore the association between psychiatric disorders as a comorbidity and return-t... more Objective: To explore the association between psychiatric disorders as a comorbidity and return-to-work (RTW) in individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI). Methods: A systematic review was performed. The search strategy (2002-2012) contained terms related to ABI, psychiatric comorbidity and keywords adapted to the outcome measure RTW. Selection and review were performed by two authors independently. In the case of uncertainty, a third author was consulted to reach consensus on inclusion or exclusion. The methodological quality of included studies was determined and evidence was classified. Results: Seven studies were included. Strong evidence was found for a negative association between psychiatric disorders as a comorbidity (like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder) and RTW of patients with ABI. Patients with a previous history of psychiatric disorders were at considerably higher risk for a new episode and lower RTW rates following ABI. Conclusion and implicat...
International archives of occupational and environmental health, Jan 25, 2015
The purpose of this review was to search systematically for disease-generic factors associated wi... more The purpose of this review was to search systematically for disease-generic factors associated with either work retention (WR) or return to work (RTW) in people of working age with a chronic disease. An extensive search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL for English-, Dutch- and German-language studies searching on synonyms of the terms chronic disease, WR and RTW. Studies were selected if they described factors related to WR or RTW and included participants with a chronic disease of working age (15-67 years old). From 2597 hits in the electronic databases, we identified six studies reporting 23 factors associated with work participation. Categorized according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, health-related factors (comorbidity, duration of symptoms and less dysfunction), environmental factors (work environment and duration of absence) and personal factors (age, gender, education and own prediction of RTW) were identified. ...
A great number of workers suffer from problems to continue their work due to chronic health condi... more A great number of workers suffer from problems to continue their work due to chronic health conditions. This leads to a large number of workers applying for a disability benefit. In order to prevent the application of a disability benefit, insight in the background of these applicants is needed. To assess the expectations of Dutch claimants applying for a disability benefit, the rationale behind these expectations and the value of these expectations in the process of evaluating disability. Applicants for a disability benefit were invited to participate in the study. Claimants for a disability benefit filled out an internet questionnaire. The questions focused on the expectation of being granted a disability benefit and the rationale behind these expectations. Additionally, data on claimants' characteristics and responses to the first question of the Work Ability Index (WAI) were collected. The actual outcome of the application for a disability benefit was also recorded. Of the 2...
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2006
This qualitative study explored how Dutch experts perceive the utility of functional capacity eva... more This qualitative study explored how Dutch experts perceive the utility of functional capacity evaluation (FCE) for return to work (RTW) and disability claim (DC) assessment purposes. Twenty-one RTW case managers and 29 DC experts were interviewed by telephone using a semi-structured interview schedule. The RTW case managers valued the utility of FCE on a scale of 0-10. Their mean valuation was 6.5 (SD 1.5). The average valuation for DC experts was 4.8 (SD 2.2). Arguments in favor of FCE were (1) its ability to confirm own opinions and (2) the objectivity of its measurement method. Arguments against FCE were (1) the redundancy of the information it provides and (2) the lack of objectivity. Indications for FCE were musculoskeletal disorders, a positive patient self-perception of ability to work, and the presence of an actual job. Contraindications for FCE were medically unexplained disorders, a negative patient self-perception of ability to work, and the existence of disputes and legal procedures. The responding RTW case managers perceived FCE to be more useful than the responding DC experts. The question of whether the arguments presented for and against the utility of FCE are valid is one that should be addressed in a future study.
To define the most important factors for the work participation of the young disabled according t... more To define the most important factors for the work participation of the young disabled according to experts. A Delphi study was conducted with internet questionnaires. Health-related, personal and environmental factors known from literature were presented to insurance physicians and labour experts. The experts assessed whether a factor was important for the work participation of the young disabled. New factors added by the experts in the first round were assessed in the second round. Factors assessed as important by at least 80% of the experts were input for the last round, in which the experts chose the ten most important factors. Participation included 156 experts in the first round and 91 experts in the last round. They selected 44 of 92 factors as important. Severity of limitations, type of limitations and motivation were placed by more than 55% of the experts on their top-ten list to be assessed in a plan to help the young disabled participate in work. Severity and type of limitations and motivation are considered to be the most important factors for the work participation of the young disabled and should be included in a participation plan.
Objective: To explore the association between psychiatric disorders as a comorbidity and return-t... more Objective: To explore the association between psychiatric disorders as a comorbidity and return-to-work (RTW) in individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI). Methods: A systematic review was performed. The search strategy (2002-2012) contained terms related to ABI, psychiatric comorbidity and keywords adapted to the outcome measure RTW. Selection and review were performed by two authors independently. In the case of uncertainty, a third author was consulted to reach consensus on inclusion or exclusion. The methodological quality of included studies was determined and evidence was classified. Results: Seven studies were included. Strong evidence was found for a negative association between psychiatric disorders as a comorbidity (like depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder) and RTW of patients with ABI. Patients with a previous history of psychiatric disorders were at considerably higher risk for a new episode and lower RTW rates following ABI. Conclusion and implicat...
International archives of occupational and environmental health, Jan 25, 2015
The purpose of this review was to search systematically for disease-generic factors associated wi... more The purpose of this review was to search systematically for disease-generic factors associated with either work retention (WR) or return to work (RTW) in people of working age with a chronic disease. An extensive search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL for English-, Dutch- and German-language studies searching on synonyms of the terms chronic disease, WR and RTW. Studies were selected if they described factors related to WR or RTW and included participants with a chronic disease of working age (15-67 years old). From 2597 hits in the electronic databases, we identified six studies reporting 23 factors associated with work participation. Categorized according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, health-related factors (comorbidity, duration of symptoms and less dysfunction), environmental factors (work environment and duration of absence) and personal factors (age, gender, education and own prediction of RTW) were identified. ...
A great number of workers suffer from problems to continue their work due to chronic health condi... more A great number of workers suffer from problems to continue their work due to chronic health conditions. This leads to a large number of workers applying for a disability benefit. In order to prevent the application of a disability benefit, insight in the background of these applicants is needed. To assess the expectations of Dutch claimants applying for a disability benefit, the rationale behind these expectations and the value of these expectations in the process of evaluating disability. Applicants for a disability benefit were invited to participate in the study. Claimants for a disability benefit filled out an internet questionnaire. The questions focused on the expectation of being granted a disability benefit and the rationale behind these expectations. Additionally, data on claimants' characteristics and responses to the first question of the Work Ability Index (WAI) were collected. The actual outcome of the application for a disability benefit was also recorded. Of the 2...
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 2006
This qualitative study explored how Dutch experts perceive the utility of functional capacity eva... more This qualitative study explored how Dutch experts perceive the utility of functional capacity evaluation (FCE) for return to work (RTW) and disability claim (DC) assessment purposes. Twenty-one RTW case managers and 29 DC experts were interviewed by telephone using a semi-structured interview schedule. The RTW case managers valued the utility of FCE on a scale of 0-10. Their mean valuation was 6.5 (SD 1.5). The average valuation for DC experts was 4.8 (SD 2.2). Arguments in favor of FCE were (1) its ability to confirm own opinions and (2) the objectivity of its measurement method. Arguments against FCE were (1) the redundancy of the information it provides and (2) the lack of objectivity. Indications for FCE were musculoskeletal disorders, a positive patient self-perception of ability to work, and the presence of an actual job. Contraindications for FCE were medically unexplained disorders, a negative patient self-perception of ability to work, and the existence of disputes and legal procedures. The responding RTW case managers perceived FCE to be more useful than the responding DC experts. The question of whether the arguments presented for and against the utility of FCE are valid is one that should be addressed in a future study.
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