¹Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam, Netherlands
²Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Societal Participation and Health, Amsterdam, Netherlands
³Amsterdam Movement Sciences Research Institute, Musculoskeletal Health, Amsterdam, Netherlands
⁴Arbo Unie, Knowledge Institute for Work and Health, Utrecht, Netherlands
⁵Amsterdam UMC Location University of Amsterdam, Department Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam, Netherlands
⁶Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Quality of Care, Amsterdam, Netherlands

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Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most common causes of sick leave. The total duration of sick leave due to MSDs is considerable and employer costs are high. A large occupational health service in the Netherlands developed a computer-assisted occupational reintegration protocol for occupational health professionals (OHPs). This reintegration protocol aims a timely and sustainable reintegration of employees at high risk for prolonged sick leave due to MSDs. The protocol is a step-by-step approach in which the OHP sees the employee during an early consultation. During each consultation, the OHP obtains recovery advices for the employee or suggestions for appropriate evidence-based interventions via a short questionnaire. The OHP works in a multidisciplinary team where tasks of an occupational physician are delegated to other OHPs, such as nurses. This study aims to explore the duration until first contact with an OHP and to assess return to work among employees with MSDs guided by the newly developed computer-assisted reintegration protocol compared to usual care.

Methods: We will analyse data of a dynamic and longitudinal cohort of employees on sick leave diagnosed with a MSD between January 2020 and July 2023. These employees worked within organisations where reintegration is provided according to the newly developed protocol (intervention group) or within organisations where reintegration is provided according to usual care (control group). Kaplan-Meier curves will be used to show the probability of full return to work over time. A cox-regression analysis will be performed to investigate the effect of early consultation on time until full return to work.

Results: The intervention group consists of 6,509 employees (median age: 51.8 years; 51% female) and the control group consists of 22,290 employees (median age 51.7; 35% female). Of those in the intervention group, 1,970 employees (median age: 51.8 years; 54% female) had high risk for prolonged sick leave and were called for an early consultation. Of all employees who have had contact with an OHP, preliminary results showed that the median duration until first contact was 28 days, 26 days and 21 days in the intervention group, control group and the group with an early call for consultation, respectively. Thirty-five percent of the employees with an early call for consultation had this consultation according to protocol (i.e. <= 18 days after starting sick leave). More elaborated results will be presented at PREMUS 2025.

Discussion: Preliminary results showed that the median duration until first contact with an OHP is between 3–4 weeks after starting sick leave. This study will further provide insight into the effectiveness of this and other elements of a newly developed computer-assisted reintegration protocol on the sick leave duration of workers with MSDs.

Conclusion: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly developed computer-assisted reintegration protocol on the sick leave duration of workers with MSDs and to find clues for improvement of occupational health care in the Netherlands.