Table 3
Characteristics of interventions evaluated in publications targeting persons with musculoskeletal disorders. Abbreviations: LBP: low back pain; MSD: musculoskeletal disorders. Empty cells mean either that the intervention did not focus on the aspect or that it was not described in the publication.
| First Author Year | Country | Targeted Population | Strategy (Name) | Strategy (Description) | Multidisciplinary | Interagency Collaboration | Individualized | Early Intervention | Education Participants | Education Others | Self-Management | Workplace or Employer Involved | PTSL Allowed | Data Support Effect on Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Du Bois M. 2012 [32] | Belgium | Employees, sick listed (> one month) with LBP | Information and advice | Information and advice to stay active by medical advisers after a disability evaluation. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
| Jensen L.D. 2012 [33] | Denmark | Employed LBP patients expressing concerns about the ability to maintain their current job | Counselling | Counselling by an occupational physician addressing experienced workplace barriers and physical activity. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unclear | |||
| Vermeulen S. 2011 [31] | The Netherlands | Unemployed and temporary agency workers; back, neck, other pain | Multidisciplinary intervention | Stepwise communication process to identify and solve obstacles for return to work, resulting in a consensus-based plan. The role of the return to work coordinator is to stimulate a high degree of involvement of both the sick-listed worker and the labour expert. A vocational rehabilitation agency was contracted to find a suitable workplace matching with the RTW plan. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Jensen C. 2011 Jensen C. 2012 Stapelfeldt C.M. 2011 [28,29,30] | Denmark | Employees, sick listed with LBP for 3 to 16 weeks | Multidisciplinary intervention | Examination by a rehabilitation doctor and a physiotherapist and reassuring explanations. A case manager conducts a comprehensive interview and designs a tailored rehabilitation plan to be discussed in the multidisciplinary team; the case manager contacts the work place and the municipal job centre to discuss and coordinate initiatives. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No(Jensen C. 2011) Yes, per group (Jensen C. 2012 and Stapelfeldt C.M. 2011) | |
| Viikari-Juntura E. 2012 [37] | Finland | Employed, sick-listed with MSDs | Part-time sick leave | Reduced work hours with task modification, if required. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unclear | |||||
| Shiri R. 2011 [36] | Finland | Employed; seeking help for upper-extremity pain (different diagnoses) | Ergonomic intervention | Ergonomic intervention. After the clinical examination, the physician contacts the employer, and a visit by the occupational physiotherapist is scheduled. The workplace is assessed and possible accommodations discussed with the employee and supervisor. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unclear | ||
| Myhre K. 2014 Marchand G.H. 2015 [34,35] | Norway | Employed neck and back pain patients, sick-listed for 1 to 12 months and referred to secondary care | Work-focused rehabilitation | A case worker analyses together with the patient work and RTW difficulties; they develop a RTW schedule; they and discuss relevant issues for a meeting with the employer; if sick-leave compensation is an issue, the caseworkers contact municipal social services. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No added value to multidisciplinary intervention (2014) Support for subgroup effects(2015) | ||
| Steiner A.A. 2013 [27] | Switzerland | Persons with chronic LBP, non-specific LBP with or without radiating leg pain | Multidisciplinary functional rehabilitation program | Sessions included: (1) cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, muscular flexibility, stabilization exercises, relaxation, proprioception and water gymnastics; (2) occupational therapy with emphasis on individual professional and daily life situations; (3) patient education sessions based on a non-injury model and the biopsychosocial model; and (4) one hour per week of support group led by a psychiatrist. Personalized, realistic and measurable objectives were defined individually. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Intervention at the workplace not possible for all participants | Unclear |