Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation最新文献

{"title":"Comparing the Effectiveness of Digital and Conventional Rehabilitation Aftercare on Work Ability in Orthopedic Patients: A Longitudinal Study in Germany.","authors":"Detlef Schmidt, Jakob Hedin, Anna Pelegrina, Susanne Weyland, Lena-Marie Rittmann, Darko Jekauc","doi":"10.1007/s10926-025-10284-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10926-025-10284-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The primary aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of digital rehabilitation aftercare (digIRENA) with conventional rehabilitation aftercare (IRENA) and a control group without organized aftercare in improving work ability among orthopedic patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 1056 orthopedic rehabilitation patients were recruited from multiple rehabilitation clinics in Germany and randomly assigned to three groups: digIRENA (n = 405), IRENA (n = 352), or a control group (n = 299). Work ability was assessed using the short version of the Work Ability Index at four time points: baseline, 13, 26, and 43 weeks post-baseline. Repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted to examine longitudinal trends in work ability, with additional analyses to assess the impact of age, gender, and employment status on outcomes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Work ability improved significantly over time in all three groups (F = 37.6, p < 0.01, η² = 0.045). In the unadjusted analysis, the interaction between time and group was significant (F = 2.2, p < 0.01, η² = 0.006), indicating a steeper initial improvement in the digIRENA group compared to IRENA and control. However, when adjusting for age, gender, and employment status, this difference was no longer significant, suggesting that selection bias and baseline differences explain the unadjusted group effect. Across all groups, younger and unemployed participants showed greater improvements in work ability.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In unadjusted comparisons, digital aftercare showed a steeper initial improvement in work ability. However, once key sociodemographic factors were controlled for, these group differences disappeared.</p>","PeriodicalId":48035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation","volume":" ","pages":"456-469"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13099794/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143721965","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Healthcare Professionals' Experiences with Vocational Rehabilitation for People with Inflammatory Arthritis.","authors":"Anne-Birgitte Madsen, Jette Primdahl, Jeanette Reffstrup Christensen, Ann Bremander, Christina Merete Tvede Madsen","doi":"10.1007/s10926-025-10297-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10926-025-10297-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To explore healthcare professionals' (HPs') experiences of work-related challenges among people with inflammatory arthritis (IA).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative, interview study using a hermeneutic approach was planned. HPs with different professional backgrounds working with people with rheumatic diseases were recruited. An interview guide was developed according to relevant literature. The analysis followed Graneheim and Lundman's qualitative content analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty-one HPs representing two municipalities, three hospitals, a university college and one patient organisation participated in individual semi-structured interviews. The analysis derived three themes: (1) Work identity and living with IA. The disease causes emotional and economic effects regarding fulfilling roles in everyday life, including work; (2) Opportunities and challenges when supporting patients. Promoting and inhibiting factors that affect retention in the labour market include organisational factors at work, opportunities for involving the patient's relatives and working interprofessionally and cross-sectorally; and (3) Cooperation with employers. People with IA use different strategies and opportunities for compensatory schemes to maintain work. Cooperation with employers is an important part of vocational rehabilitation.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>HPs experience that people with IA find it difficult to manage their everyday life, including work. HPs want to support people with IA to maintain their jobs but find it difficult if the patient has not informed the employer about the disease. This study clarifies the need for vocational rehabilitation to support people with IA to stay in work, from time of diagnosis through hospitalisation, municipal rehabilitation and job clarification.</p>","PeriodicalId":48035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation","volume":" ","pages":"561-569"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13099797/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143990854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Realising the Case Management Ideal in Multi-organisational Coordination Work to Support Work Ability and (Re)employment in Finland.","authors":"Pirjo Juvonen-Posti, Nina Nevala, Simo Kaleva","doi":"10.1007/s10926-025-10274-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10926-025-10274-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Inclusivity policies can positively impact labour shortages. The ideal approach to work ability services has shifted from being system centred to being individually tailored and human centred. Service systems are complex in many countries and case managers, referred to here as coordinators, play a key role in achieving the human-centred goal of increasing labour force participation. However, the literature on the practices of these coordinators and their distinct roles in supporting work ability and (re)employment and the contexts in which they do so is limited. This study aimed to clarify what these coordinators do and to explore the extent to which coordinating work meets the ideal of individualised support in different operating contexts.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The design was a mixed-method study, which utilised two data sources to answer the same complex questions. It consisted of surveys, and in-depth interviews that were based on its results. A total of 241 professionals from various services responded to these surveys, and 15 volunteers were interviewed. The questionnaire data were analysed using descriptive statistical methods, whereas the interviews were examined using thematic analysis. After this, the data were integrated according to a multi-level context framework.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Initially, the coordinators from different sectors shared similar human-oriented values and ways of working. However, crossing administrative and organisational boundaries proved difficult, even though this was essential for the continuity of the client's process. As a result, ideal case management was not fully achieved.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings highlight a necessity for joint policies and practices, and organisational engagement to long-term collaboration.</p>","PeriodicalId":48035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation","volume":" ","pages":"394-406"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13100016/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143460121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Managers' Use of Organizational Resources when Supporting Employees with Common Mental Disorders: A Swedish Qualitative Study.","authors":"Ellinor Tengelin, Lisa Björk, Linda Corin, Gunnel Hensing, Carin Staland-Nyman, Christian Ståhl, Monica Bertilsson","doi":"10.1007/s10926-025-10293-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10926-025-10293-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Among the diverse tasks of managers, handling employees with common mental disorders (CMDs) is perceived as particularly challenging. Little is known about the organizational resources that managers use in these situations. The aim of this study was to explore the organizational resources that managers use when handling employees with CMDs and how they experience their use.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An interview study inspired by the critical incident technique was designed. Swedish managers (n = 35) were recruited if they were managers in a private company with at least 50 employees and had experience supporting one or more employees with a CMD in the last 2 years. An incident was defined as a situation when a manager needed to support an employee with a CMD.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The analysis revealed managers' use of seven kinds of resources, and how the resource helped or hindered support to employees: (1) routines and structures; (2) frames for action; (3) training and education; (4) expert functions; (5) safety representatives from worker unions; (6) social support from colleagues and management; (7) interaction with employees. Secondary findings were personal and external resources, widening the study's organizational focus.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study is one of the first to explore managers' real-life experiences of the support available in their organization when managing employees with CMDs. Managers' experiences may help organizations provide structures for the management of individual cases of CMD at work. Resources flexible to the needs of managers in specific situations were experienced as supportive by participants in this study.</p>","PeriodicalId":48035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation","volume":" ","pages":"517-533"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13099842/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144057678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intervention challenges experienced in physiotherapy and occupational therapy with workers' pain and disability representations: a mixed methods study.","authors":"Patricia Godbout, Marie-France Coutu, Marie-José Durand","doi":"10.1007/s10926-025-10272-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10926-025-10272-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The study objectives were to (1) identify prevalent unhelpful worker-held pain and disability representations and (2) explore clinicians' intervention challenges with these representations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used (quan → QUAL). Secondary analysis of a database was performed first. The database included the scores obtained by 297 sick-listed workers with musculoskeletal disorders on the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire for Work Disability. Descriptive statistics identified the most prevalent unhelpful worker-held representations. Quantitative results were used to develop an interview guide. Semi-structured interviews explored the physiotherapy professionals' (n = 8) and occupational therapists' (n = 6) intervention challenges with workers' pain and disability representations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The secondary data analysis showed that perceptions of severe consequences, unpredictable symptoms, and negative emotions were the most prevalent unhelpful worker-held representations. The interviews identified clinicians' key intervention challenges as two specific pain-and-disability representation patterns. The first depicted workers' perceptions of unpredictable and uncontrollable pain, perceptions that generate negative emotions. The clinicians associated this pattern with workers' sense of helplessness. The second pattern involved workers' firm beliefs in a biomedical cause, leading to their perceptions of low levels of treatment and personal pain control. According to clinicians, this pattern led to workers' resistance to active rehabilitation. The clinicians regarded both patterns as hindering worker engagement in rehabilitation treatment.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The clinicians' key intervention challenges were two pain-and-disability representation patterns, which included or not, prevalent unhelpful worker-held representations. The results underscore the need to develop a transdisciplinary intervention for work rehabilitation clinicians that takes pain and disability representations into account.</p>","PeriodicalId":48035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation","volume":" ","pages":"383-393"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143460120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reflections of Autistic Adults on Employment Preparation Programs: A Qualitative Analysis.","authors":"Jena K Randolph, Jaclyn Benigno, Maia Z Markollari, Nancy Cheak-Zamora","doi":"10.1007/s10926-025-10296-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10926-025-10296-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Autistic adults face significant barriers to employment. While caregiver and provider perspectives have informed transition programming to address these barriers, limited research has gathered insights directly from autistic adults. This study aimed to explore the experiences of autistic adults who completed an employment preparation program to identify the unmet needs and evaluate the impact on employment outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 autistic adults and consisted of 26 core questions, allowing for an exploratory line of questioning. This method was chosen to address the gap in the literature regarding autistic adults' direct experiences and needs. The interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis, prioritizing participants' words and experiences revealing novel insights into transition services. Demographic information and closed-ended questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants expressed overall satisfaction with the programs, and most were currently employed, attributing their job obtainment to the transition program. Thematic analysis revealed four primary themes: (1) Job Skills; (2) Job Experience and Coaching; (3) Peer Relationships; and (4) Goal Setting. Participants reported benefits such as improved job obtainment skills, on-the-job experience, peer socialization, and practice setting goals. However, challenges were identified, including difficulties in maintaining relationships with peers and concerns about excessive involvement by job coaches.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings highlight the benefits and limitations of employment preparation programs for autistic adults. The insights gained can inform the development of future programs and the training of personnel aiming to enhance the effectiveness of services for autistic adults seeking employment.</p>","PeriodicalId":48035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation","volume":" ","pages":"549-560"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144080666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Shortened Upper Extremity Functional Capacity Evaluation for Patients with Complaints of Hand, Wrist, Forearm, and Elbow: Composition and Assessment of Construct Validity and Test-Retest Reliability.","authors":"Redmar J Berduszek, Rienk Dekker, Corry K van der Sluis, Michiel F Reneman","doi":"10.1007/s10926-025-10298-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10926-025-10298-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Upper extremity functional capacity evaluation (UE-FCE) contains tests covering aspects of upper extremity functioning. UE-FCE tests usually consist of multiple repeated trials. Shortened UE-FCEs with less trials per test have been proposed but never tested in patients. The aims of this study were (1) to compose a shortened UE-FCE (fewer trials per test) and (2) to assess construct validity and test-retest reliability when applied in patients with nontraumatic musculoskeletal complaints of the hand, wrist, forearm, and elbow.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Participants performed a UE-FCE, with original full-length tests, twice (1 to 3 weeks apart). A shortened UE-FCE, with fewer trials per test, was composed based on the agreement (ICC ≥ 0.90) between shortened and original UE-FCE tests. Consequently, construct validity and test-retest reliability of the shortened UE-FCE tests were assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>UE-FCEs were performed by 45 participants. The proposed shortened UE-FCE included one-trial tests for hand grip and finger strength (instead of three-trial tests), two-trial tests for fingertip and hand/forearm dexterity (instead of three-trial and four-trial tests, respectively). Overhead lifting and working tests were already one-trial tests and remain unchanged. Construct validity was demonstrated for hand grip strength of the left hand, overhead lifting, and overhead working, but not for hand grip strength of the right hand, finger strength, fingertip dexterity and hand and forearm dexterity. Test-retest reliability was above 0.70 for all tests, except for fingertip dexterity of the dominant hand (0.59).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The shortened UE-FCE with fewer trials per test agreed strongly with the original UE-FCE. Using the shortened UE-FCE could save 18 min. Construct validity differed per UE-FCE test. Test-retest reliability was sufficient for all UE-FCE tests except fingertip dexterity of the dominant hand.</p>","PeriodicalId":48035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation","volume":" ","pages":"570-579"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13099714/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144095642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating Effectiveness of Telerehabilitation Among Workers Admitted to a Posttraumatic Stress Injury Rehabilitation Program.","authors":"Brandon K Krebs, Katelyn Brehon, Maxi Miciak, Bruce D Dick, Suzette C Brémault-Phillips, Sebastian Straube, Douglas P Gross","doi":"10.1007/s10926-025-10285-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10926-025-10285-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Telerehabilitation or hybrid delivery (i.e., a mixture of telerehabilitation and in-person care) was increasingly used to deliver posttraumatic stress injury (PTSI) rehabilitation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Limited research, however, has evaluated the use of telerehabilitation to deliver PTSI interventions, including exposure-based therapies, and some service providers concerned about the potential adverse effects of delivery over telerehabilitation continue to advocate for in-person delivery. We evaluated the effectiveness of telerehabilitation versus hybrid delivery in promoting return-to-work (RTW) among workers with PTSI.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a pragmatic, quasi-experimental study using archived data from workers undergoing PTSI rehabilitation programs offered by the Workers' Compensation Board of Alberta. The RTW outcomes of workers treated solely using telerehabilitation between November 6, 2020, and September 30, 2021, were compared to outcomes of workers treated using a hybrid model of delivery. A logistic regression analysis was used to examine if the method of treatment delivery was associated with RTW outcomes while controlling for a variety of potential confounders.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study cohort included 222 workers with ongoing workers' compensation claims for PTSI. The majority were middle-aged (mean 42 years) men (61%) working as public safety personnel (35.9%) or in transport occupations (25.2%). The adjusted regression model showed no statistically significant differences in RTW outcomes between workers receiving telerehabilitation or hybrid treatment (Adjusted Odds Ratio 1.7; 95% CI 0.8-3.6).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>PTSI rehabilitation programs delivered exclusively via virtual means appear to produce RTW outcomes that are equally effective to delivery using a hybrid model.</p>","PeriodicalId":48035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation","volume":" ","pages":"470-479"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143597909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Validation of JEM Soignances Job-Exposure Matrix Through Comparison with Self-Reported Exposures Among Healthcare Workers in CONSTANCES.","authors":"Allison Singier, Marc Fadel, Fabien Gilbert, Marie Zins, Laura Temime, Alexis Descatha","doi":"10.1007/s10926-025-10289-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10926-025-10289-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>A healthcare-specific job-exposure matrix, JEM Soignances, was recently developed to assess the occupational exposome of healthcare workers. This study aimed to compare estimates of known associations between occupational exposures and health outcomes obtained using JEM Soignances and self-reported data.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Healthcare professionals from the CONSTANCES cohort with linked data from the French National Healthcare Database (SNDS) were included (n = 12219). Exposures were estimated using JEM Soignances (occupations and sectors of activity) and its alternative version (+ establishment size and status), as binary exposure at inclusion or as lifetime cumulative exposure (< 10y/ ≥ 10y). Association with relevant health outcomes (i.e., pain, depressive symptoms, hypertension, cancer, use of psychoactive drugs) were evaluated using logistic regression and compared to estimates obtained from self-reported exposure data in terms of direction, magnitude, and significance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>For organizational exposures, 10/16 associations for JEM Soignances and 12/16 for the alternative version aligned with self-reported data in direction and magnitude. For biomechanical exposures, confidence intervals overlapped in 11/15 associations for JEM Soignances and in 9/15 for the alternative version. For the others, discrepancies generally lean toward underestimation. For psychosocial exposure, JEM Soignances revealed significant limitations: While self-reported effort-reward imbalance was strongly associated with depressive symptoms (aOR = 3.18[2.81;3.59]), JEM Soignances underestimated this association (aOR = 1.37[1.23;1.54]), and the alternative version failed to detect it (aOR = 0.99[0.87;1.13]).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>JEM Soignances demonstrated good agreement with self-reported data for organizational and biomechanical exposures but failed for psychosocial exposure, often underestimating or missing associations. Further research is needed to evaluate JEM Soignances validity for biological, chemical, and physical exposures.</p>","PeriodicalId":48035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation","volume":" ","pages":"480-492"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13099736/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143765442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bridging the Gap Between Rehabilitation and Return to Work: A Qualitative Evaluation of a Workplace Intervention for Low Back Pain.","authors":"Lisa Bernaers, Tine Marieke Willems, Dorina Rusu, Christophe Demoulin, Dominique Van de Velde, Lutgart Braeckman","doi":"10.1007/s10926-025-10295-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10926-025-10295-2","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Low back pain (LBP) can lead to disability and sick leave, impacting work participation and overall health. Given the complex and multifactorial nature of LBP, Belgium's Federal Agency for Occupational Risks (FEDRIS) promotes a secondary prevention strategy for LBP among workers engaged in ergonomically demanding tasks. This strategy includes multidisciplinary-based rehabilitation and an optional workplace intervention (WPI), initiated upon employer request. The WPI component consists of a half-day ergonomic risk analysis at the workplace conducted by an external occupational health service. This paper is one of two parallel qualitative studies that explored the experiences and perspectives of employees and healthcare professionals (HCPs) on the secondary prevention program. The current study focuses on the optional WPI, aiming to identify its strengths, challenges, and potential solutions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;Between April 2022 and April 2023, six multicenter semistructured focus groups were held with 15 employees (2015-2019 program participants) and 24 HCPs (including external ergonomists) recruited from 11 Belgian rehabilitation centers and hospitals. Sessions were organized as employee-only, HCP-only, or mixed groups. All the interviews were anonymized, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed inductively via thematic analysis, with validation through data triangulation, intercoder checks, and participant feedback.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;The analysis reveals strengths, challenges, and solutions associated with the WPI before, during, and after implementation. Before the intervention, some HCPs recognized the WPIs' benefits, but limited awareness, employer hesitancy, practicality concerns, and job security fears presumably contributed to low application rates. The proposed solutions include proactive communication, streamlined processes, and enhanced employer engagement. During implementation, strengths included improved employee engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration, but challenges related to limited integration and timing affected effectiveness. Early ergonomic assessments and better communication are suggested. After the intervention, inconsistent feedback hindered sustainability, highlighting the need for systematic follow-up and stronger organizational commitment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;The WPI provides some tangible benefits for sustainable return to work in Belgium's secondary prevention strategy for LBP, yet a few gaps remain. Low employer awareness, application hesitancy, and inconsistent follow-up hinder effective implementation. Equally, interdisciplinary collaboration and proactive ergonomic assessments are considered strengths of the WPI. Involving all key stakeholders emerges as critical for addressing practical concerns and ensuring ongoing support. Future refinements should prioritize streamlined processes, early-stage interventions, and consistent feedback.&lt;/","PeriodicalId":48035,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation","volume":" ","pages":"534-548"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144054195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}