Patients with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
Conditions
Interventions
Control group
Physical therapy practices randomised to the control group will provide regular physical therapy (according to the existing guidelines) to their patients. These patients will be asked to
Sponsors
HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Patients will be recruited by the participating physical therapists. In order to be eligible for participation in this study, a patient must meet all of the following criteria: 1. Display one or more musculoskeletal complaints 2. Have an indication for physical therapy treatment 3. Have an employment contract or be self-employed (normally working = 12 hours a week) 4. Experience symptoms during work or in their own opinion have problems performing their work (including absenteeism)
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Patients who are unable to access and fill in the online follow-up questionnaires will be excluded.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Limitations in specific work-related activities. The limitations in specific work-related activities in the previous week will be assessed using a patient-specific functional scale (PSFS). Patients will be asked to identify the most important work-related activity they are unable to perform or are having difficulty with as a result of their musculoskeletal problems. Patients will be asked to rate each activity on an 11-point scale indicating the current level of difficulty associated with each activity. Pain during work. The level of pain experienced by the patient in the previous week during work will be assessed using the 11-point numeric pain rating scale (NPRS). | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Limitations in general work-related activities will be assessed using a single question about the limitations experienced during work in general due to the complaints (11-point scale) [38]. General pain. The general level of pain experienced by the patient in the previous week will be assessed using the 11-point numeric pain rating scale (NPRS). Quality of life will be assessed using the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) [39]. Presenteeism will be assessed using the Dutch version of the 6-item Stanford Presenteeism Scale (SPS-6) [40]. Absenteeism will be measured by asking the patient the number of days they had been out of work due to their complaints during the previous month. Estimated risk for future work disability will be assessed using the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (short form) [41]. Work-related psychosocial risk factors will be assessed using the blue flags questionnaire [42]. The degree to which health problems interfere with specific aspects of job performance and the productivity impact of these work limitations will be assessed using the Work Limitations Questionnaire [43]. Work ability will be assessed using the Work Ability Index-Single Item Scale (WAS), which is a responsive measure for work participation and highly predictive for future sickness absence [44]. The amount of attention to work participation given by the physical therapist, and the level of satisfaction of the patient with this attention will be measured using five-point Likert scales. Other outcome measures include: In addition, we will collect data on the attitude towards addressing work participation in physical therapy practice (five-point Likert scale), the use of other healthcare interventions (co-interventions), the number of physical therapy treatment sessions, recurrences of complaints and referrals to other occupational health professionals (including physical therapists specialised in occupational health). All participating physical therapist | — |
Contacts
Public ContactNathan Hutting
HAN University of Applied Sciences
Outcome results
None listed