Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Patients' return-to-work expectancy relates to their beliefs about their physician's opinion regarding return to work volition and ability

Claréus, Benjamin LU and Renström, Emma LU (2019) In Journal of Pain Research 12. p.353-362
Abstract
Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between sick-listed patients’ return to work (RTW) expectancy and how they perceive that their physicians evaluate their ability and volition for RTW.Methods: Hierarchical logistic regression controlling for sociodemographic factors and pain characteristics was carried out on cross-sectional data from 205 participants (mean age= 47.24±9.66 years, 83.9% women). They were currently on full-time sick leave with a total duration of 10 years or less and represented various diagnosed and undiagnosed pain conditions.Results: A positive expectation for RTW within a year was significantly associated with the belief that the physician favorably evaluated one’s ability (OR= 1.44, 95% CI= 1.13–1.83)... (More)
Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between sick-listed patients’ return to work (RTW) expectancy and how they perceive that their physicians evaluate their ability and volition for RTW.Methods: Hierarchical logistic regression controlling for sociodemographic factors and pain characteristics was carried out on cross-sectional data from 205 participants (mean age= 47.24±9.66 years, 83.9% women). They were currently on full-time sick leave with a total duration of 10 years or less and represented various diagnosed and undiagnosed pain conditions.Results: A positive expectation for RTW within a year was significantly associated with the belief that the physician favorably evaluated one’s ability (OR= 1.44, 95% CI= 1.13–1.83) and volition (OR= 1.42, 95% CI= 1.11–1.83) to RTW. This held even when other variables significantly associated with RTW expectancy were accounted for. Beyond beliefs, only age made a significant contribution in our final model (OR= 0.94, 95% CI= 0.90–0.98).Conclusion: The results indicate that patients’ beliefs regarding their physician’s opinion about their ability and volition for RTW influence their own RTW expectancy. Rehabilitation might be facilitated if health care professionals address and affirm patients’ ability and volition for RTW, regardless of patients’ pain characteristics or if the total duration of their sick leave is <10 years. As other studies have found that RTW expectancy is one of the strongest predictors for actual RTW, future research should test the effect of beliefs about physicians’ opinions on actual RTW rates. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
rehabilitation, pain, outcome expectations, general practice, RTW
in
Journal of Pain Research
volume
12
pages
353 - 362
publisher
Dove Medical Press Ltd.
external identifiers
  • scopus:85060675936
  • pmid:30697062
ISSN
1178-7090
DOI
10.2147/JPR.S179061
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
a2aba895-c9de-458b-8aaa-7a9a541cd807
date added to LUP
2019-01-15 13:01:36
date last changed
2022-12-30 11:58:18
@article{a2aba895-c9de-458b-8aaa-7a9a541cd807,
  abstract     = {{Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between sick-listed patients’ return to work (RTW) expectancy and how they perceive that their physicians evaluate their ability and volition for RTW.Methods: Hierarchical logistic regression controlling for sociodemographic factors and pain characteristics was carried out on cross-sectional data from 205 participants (mean age= 47.24±9.66 years, 83.9% women). They were currently on full-time sick leave with a total duration of 10 years or less and represented various diagnosed and undiagnosed pain conditions.Results: A positive expectation for RTW within a year was significantly associated with the belief that the physician favorably evaluated one’s ability (OR= 1.44, 95% CI= 1.13–1.83) and volition (OR= 1.42, 95% CI= 1.11–1.83) to RTW. This held even when other variables significantly associated with RTW expectancy were accounted for. Beyond beliefs, only age made a significant contribution in our final model (OR= 0.94, 95% CI= 0.90–0.98).Conclusion: The results indicate that patients’ beliefs regarding their physician’s opinion about their ability and volition for RTW influence their own RTW expectancy. Rehabilitation might be facilitated if health care professionals address and affirm patients’ ability and volition for RTW, regardless of patients’ pain characteristics or if the total duration of their sick leave is &lt;10 years. As other studies have found that RTW expectancy is one of the strongest predictors for actual RTW, future research should test the effect of beliefs about physicians’ opinions on actual RTW rates.}},
  author       = {{Claréus, Benjamin and Renström, Emma}},
  issn         = {{1178-7090}},
  keywords     = {{rehabilitation; pain; outcome expectations; general practice; RTW}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  pages        = {{353--362}},
  publisher    = {{Dove Medical Press Ltd.}},
  series       = {{Journal of Pain Research}},
  title        = {{Patients' return-to-work expectancy relates to their beliefs about their physician's opinion regarding return to work volition and ability}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S179061}},
  doi          = {{10.2147/JPR.S179061}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}