Implementing the German Model of Work-Related Medical Rehabilitation: Did the Delivered Dose of Work-Related Treatment Components Increase?

[Results of a Survey Regarding the Implementation of Work-Related Medical Rehabilitation for Patients with Musculoskeletal Disorders: Evaluation and Training of Work-Related Functional Capacity]

PURPOSE

Although work-related medical rehabilitation (WMR) has been established as a component of the rehabilitative care system for some time, particularly in patients with musculoskeletal disorders, studies indicated strong heterogeneity regarding the implementation of the guideline for WMR in Germany. This study is the first to examine the implementation of work-related functional capacity training and the preceding work-related diagnostics based on a nationwide survey of WMR health care professionals.

METHODS

Rehabilitation facilities (n=317) authorized to carry out WMR in patients with musculoskeletal disorders were invited to participate in a nationwide survey. 86 of 317 facilities responded to the self-developed questionnaire and met the inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

67% of the WMR facilities described a systematic use of functional capacity evaluation (FCE) at the beginning of rehabilitation in at least 50% of the rehabilitants. 70% stated that they systematically matched abilities and work demands. Furthermore, 57% reported that profile comparisons were used to tailor training of work-related functional capacity. The training itself was provided to at least every second rehabilitant with a total duration of 360 minutes or more in about every second facility. The FCE procedures and the work-related functional capacity training were primarily carried out by occupational therapists.

CONCLUSION

Work-related diagnostics and the work-related functional capacity training are often but not yet always implemented in line with the guideline for WMR. Promoting interdisciplinarity seems to be a promising approach regarding the further development of WMR.

[Results of a Survey Regarding the Implementation of Work-Related Medical Rehabilitation for Patients with Musculoskeletal Disorders: Identification of a Need and the Assessment of Work Demands]

PURPOSE

Research indicates that the implementation of work-related medical rehabilitation (WMR) is characterized by pronounced heterogeneity and that the requirements defined by the German Pension Insurance are not consistently met. The study aimed to investigate the implementation of the WMR guideline in patients with musculoskeletal disorders with regard to the identification of a need for WMR as well as the assessment of the individual demands of work.

METHODS

317 rehabilitation facilities authorized for WMR in patients with musculoskeletal disorders were invited to participate in a nationwide survey. 86 of 317 facilities responded to the self-developed questionnaire and met the inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

Although most facilities reported that nearly all patients receive WMR if they have a need for it, the proportion of WMR measures provided was below ten percent in the majority of cases. With regard to work demands, respondents demanded greater involvement of employers in order to strengthen validity.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicate that WMR is largely implemented in accordance with the WMR guideline. The main challenges include meeting the need for WMR and strengthening the involvement of employers in the assessment of work requirements.

Return to work after medical rehabilitation in Germany: influence of individual factors and regional labour market based on administrative data

Background

The influence of both individual factors and, in particular, the regional labour market on the return to work after medical rehabilitation is to be analyzed based on comprehensive administrative data from the German Pension Insurance and Employment Agencies.

Method

For rehabilitation in 2016, pre- and post-rehabilitation employment was determined from German Pension Insurance data for 305,980 patients in 589 orthopaedic rehabilitation departments and 117,386 patients in 202 psychosomatic rehabilitation departments. Labour market data was linked to the district of residence and categorized into 257 labour market regions. RTW was operationalized as the number of employment days in the calendar year after medical rehabilitation. Predictors are individual data (socio-demographics, rehabilitation biography, employment biography) and contextual data (regional unemployment rate, rehabilitation department level: percentage of patients employed before). The estimation method used was fractional logit regression in a cross-classified multilevel model.

Results

The effect of the regional unemployment rate on RTW is significant yet small. It is even smaller (orthopaedics) or not significant (psychosomatics) when individual employment biographies (i.e., pre-rehabilitation employment status) are inserted into the model as the most important predictors. The interaction with pre-rehabilitation employment status is not substantial.

Conclusions

Database and methods are of high quality, however due to the nonexperimental design, omitted variables could lead to bias and limit causal interpretation. The influence of the labour market on RTW is small and proxied to a large extent by individual employment biographies. However, if no (valid) employment biographies are available, the labour market should be included in RTW analyses.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12651-023-00330-1.

Functional Capacity Evaluation Research: Report from the Fourth International Functional Capacity Evaluation Research Meeting

Purpose To summarize progress of functional capacity evaluation (FCE) research based on the proceedings of the Fourth International FCE Research Conference held in Switzerland on September 21 and 22, 2018. Methods A scientific committee identified key issues in FCE research and developed the program including key note presentations, a call for abstracts, and round table discussions over 2 days. Highlights of the presentations and discussions are summarized in this article. Results Seventy-nine participants from 11 countries attended the conference where 10 keynote lectures and 21 abstracts were presented. There was also an open discussion regarding the need for an International FCE clinical practice guideline (CPG), methods for developing such a guideline, and practical next steps. Full program details and abstracts from this Fourth International FCE Research Conference are available from https://www.sar-reha.ch/interessengemeinschaften/ig-ergonomie.html . Conclusions Researchers and clinicians continue to increase the body of knowledge in the FCE field. A major finding of this conference is the diversity across the different FCE protocols and research groups as well as of the different uses of FCE across cultural and social economic systems. Next steps will include exploring the development of an international, interdisciplinary, evidence-based FCE clinical practice guideline by a committee formed at the conference.

Effects of nationwide implementation of work-related medical rehabilitation in Germany: propensity score matched analysis

Objectives

Since 2014, the Federal German Pension Insurance has approved several departments to implement work-related medical rehabilitation programmes across Germany. Our cohort study was launched to assess the effects of work-related medical rehabilitation under real-life conditions.

Methods

Participants received either a common or a work-related medical rehabilitation programme. Propensity score matching was used to identify controls that were comparable to work-related medical rehabilitation patients. The effects were assessed by patient-reported outcome measures 10 months after completing the rehabilitation programme.

Results

We compared 641 patients who were treated in work-related medical rehabilitation with 641 matched controls. Only half of the treated patients had high initial work disability risk scores and were intended to be reached by the new programmes. The dose of work-related components was on average in accordance with the guideline; however, the heterogeneity was high. Work-related medical rehabilitation increased the proportion of patients returning to work by 5.8 percentage points (95% CI 0.005 to 0.110), decreased the median time to return to work by 9.46 days (95% CI -18.14 to -0.79), and improved self-rated work ability by 0.38 points (95% CI 0.05 to 0.72) compared with common medical rehabilitation. A per-protocol analysis revealed that work-related medical rehabilitation was more effective if patients were assigned according to the guideline and the minimal mandatory treatment dose was actually delivered.

Conclusions

The implementation of work-related medical rehabilitation in German rehabilitation centres affected work participation outcomes. Improving guideline fidelity (reach and dose delivered) will probably improve the outcomes in real-world care.

Trial Registration Number

DRKS00009780