Journal Article

Dutch Dataset Vocational Rehabilitation for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Baseline Patients’ Characteristics and Program Eligibility

Killen, Vera, Reneman, Michiel F., de Laat, Fred A., Edelaar, Michel J. A., Nachtegaal, Janneke

2025

Overview

Purpose Vocational rehabilitation (VR) is an intervention to improve return to work for patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP). However, a systematic overview of characteristics of referred patients or eligible for VR is lacking, which hinders comparability across studies. Objectives were (1) to describe characteristics of patients with CMP referred to and eligible for VR and (2) to identify factors that contribute to VR eligibility. Methods This study used a multicenter, cross-sectional design. Data of self-reported questionnaires were obtained between 2013 and 2019 from care as usual of eight Dutch VR centers. Descriptive statistics were performed to describe sociodemographic, pain-related, and work-related characteristics. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors contributing to VR eligibility. Results Data sets of n  = 2970 referred patients were included. The mean age was 46 years and 60% were female. Low back (43%), neck (37%), and shoulder pain (34%) were most reported. 82% Worked in paid employment. The absenteeism rate was 85%, and 44% was partially absent. After multidisciplinary screening, 62.2% were eligible for VR. Persons most likely to be eligible for VR (OR < 1.20) were those having back or neck pain, whereas least eligible (OR < 0.80) were persons having pain in hand/fingers or pain in other regions, unemployed workers, and those referred by a ‘other’ medical specialists. All other factors contributed little or none to the model. Conclusions An extensive description of sociodemographic, pain-related, and work-related characteristics is presented for patients eligible for VR. Especially having back/neck pain and being an employee were associated with higher chance of eligibility for VR.

• Publisher: Springer US,Springer,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Absenteeism / Adult / Chronic low back pain / Chronic pain / Chronic Pain - rehabilitation / Clinical Psychology / Cross-Sectional Studies / Datasets / Eligibility / Employment / Environmental Health / Female / Fingers / Health Psychology / Humans / Interdisciplinary aspects / Job characteristics / Male / Medical screening / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Middle Aged / Musculoskeletal diseases / Musculoskeletal pain / Musculoskeletal Pain - rehabilitation / Neck / Neck pain / Netherlands / Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine / Original Article / Orthopedics / Pain / Patients / Regression analysis / Rehabilitation / Rehabilitation, Vocational - methods / Rehabilitation, Vocational - statistics & numerical data / Research design / Return to work / Return to Work - statistics & numerical data / Shoulder pain / Social service / Sociodemographics / Specialists / Statistical analysis / Statistics / Surveys and Questionnaires / Unemployed people / Virtual reality / Vocational rehabilitation / Work