Journal Article

Collaboration in the return-to-work process after sick leave due to common mental disorders: a qualitative study of stakeholders’ views on goals and roles

Arapovic Johansson, Zana, Björk Brämberg, Elisabeth, Kwak, Lydia, Hellman, Therese, Svärd, Veronica, Holmlund, Lisa

2024

Overview

Background This study explores how the goals of collaboration in the return-to-work (RTW) process for people with common mental disorders are described by the stakeholders involved, and how they experience stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities in relation to these goals. Methods Interviews were conducted with 41 participants from three Swedish regions. Nine of the participants were workers, six employer representatives, four occupational health professionals, four social insurance officers, 18 RTW coordinators and five physicians. Thematic analysis was conducted. Results Three main themes and overarching goals when collaborating on RTW were identified. In the first theme, ‘creating an informative environment’, all stakeholders emphasised clear roles and responsibilities. The second theme, ‘striving for consensus in an environment of negotiations’, addressed negotiations about when and how to collaborate, on what and with whom, and reveal different views on stakeholders’ goals, roles and responsibilities in collaboration. The third theme identified goals for ‘creating a supportive environment’ for both workers and other stakeholders. Coordinators are found to have an important role in achieving a supportive environment, and in neutralising power imbalances between workers and their employers and social insurance officers. Conclusions Competing goals and priorities were identified as hindering successful collaboration, contributing to a spectrum of complex versus easy RTW collaboration. This study suggests some basic conditions for achieving a collaborative arena that is neutral in terms of power balance, where all stakeholders can share their views.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Adult / Analysis / Biostatistics / Care and treatment / Collaboration / Common mental disorders / Cooperation / Cooperative Behavior / Coordination / Coordinators / Data collection / Diagnosis / Disorders / Employee benefits / Employers / Environment / Environmental Health / Epidemiology / Ethics / Female / Focus groups / Goal / Goals / Health aspects / Health insurance / Health services / Humans / Information communication / Information sharing / Insurance / Insurance agencies / Integrated delivery networks / Interest groups / Interviews as Topic / Male / Medical personnel / Medical research / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Medicine, Experimental / Mental disorders / Mental Disorders - psychology / Mental Disorders - rehabilitation / Mental Disorders - therapy / Mental health / Mental illness / Mentally ill / Middle Aged / Negotiation / Negotiations / Objectives / Occupational health / Occupations / Physicians / Power / Professional Role - psychology / Psychological aspects / Public Health / Public sector / Qualitative Research / Rehabilitation / Responsibilities / Responsibility / Return to work / Return to Work - psychology / Risk factors / Role / Sick leave / Sick Leave - statistics & numerical data / Social aspects / Social security / Stakeholder Participation - psychology / Stakeholders / Sweden / Theme / Vaccine / Worker absenteeism / Workers / Workplace accommodation