The Return-to-Work Assessment Study

The Return-to-Work Assessment Study: Evaluating Methods for Evaluating Ability

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN61284905

Enrollment

480

Registered

2013-03-19

Start date

2010-11-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2016-10-17

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Injured workers with musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal Diseases Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue

Interventions

Within the WCB-Alberta system, claimants are referred to the rehabilitation facility for assessment when they have not returned to work within typical timeframes, additional barriers to recovery are s

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: For the clinical trial, all male and female claimants over 18 years of age undergoing return-to-work assessment at Millard Health will be enrolled during the study time period (n = 480)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Traumatic brain or psychological injury 2. Uncontrolled medical conditions

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Our primary goal is to examine differences on level of sustained work following assessment (i.e. heavy, medium, light, sedentary or not working), with one group judged superior if they return to higher levels. Work levels are routinely used in standardized occupational descriptions. To determine work levels, telephone contacts will be made. An experienced polling firm who has previously done work with WCB-Alberta and our research group (Leger Marketing) will be contracted to perform the interviews. As work levels frequently transition over time (due to job changes, progression of modified duties, etc.) follow-up contacts will occur at multiple points in the subsequent year. Subjects will be contacted at one, three, six, and twelve months post-assessment. Questions will include whether subjects are working, and if not working for what reason. In those who are working, we will inquire about whether they are working full or part time hours and whether they are working full or modified duties. We will also ask them to rate their work level as sedentary (up to 5kg), light (5-10kg), medium (10-20kg), or heavy (>20kg) as per the National Occupational Classification.	—

Measure

Time frame

Our primary goal is to examine differences on level of sustained work following assessment (i.e. heavy, medium, light, sedentary or not working), with one group judged superior if they return to higher levels. Work levels are routinely used in standardized occupational descriptions. To determine work levels, telephone contacts will be made. An experienced polling firm who has previously done work with WCB-Alberta and our research group (Leger Marketing) will be contracted to perform the interviews. As work levels frequently transition over time (due to job changes, progression of modified duties, etc.) follow-up contacts will occur at multiple points in the subsequent year. Subjects will be contacted at one, three, six, and twelve months post-assessment. Questions will include whether subjects are working, and if not working for what reason. In those who are working, we will inquire about whether they are working full or part time hours and whether they are working full or modified duties. We will also ask them to rate their work level as sedentary (up to 5kg), light (5-10kg), medium (10-20kg), or heavy (>20kg) as per the National Occupational Classification.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Other relevant outcomes will include proxy indicators from the compensation database of timely and sustained return to work. Among subjects receiving time-loss benefits at admission, we will measure days to benefit suspension (censored at twelve months). This measure is commonly used as an indicator of return-to-work within compensation contexts. We will also analyze differences on time to claim closure. Lastly, we will extract information on subject satisfaction ratings routinely collected at the facility.	—

Measure

Time frame

Other relevant outcomes will include proxy indicators from the compensation database of timely and sustained return to work. Among subjects receiving time-loss benefits at admission, we will measure days to benefit suspension (censored at twelve months). This measure is commonly used as an indicator of return-to-work within compensation contexts. We will also analyze differences on time to claim closure. Lastly, we will extract information on subject satisfaction ratings routinely collected at the facility.

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Countries

Canada

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 19, 2026