Self-reported sick leave following a brief preventive intervention on work-related stress : A randomised controlled trial in primary health care

• Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of a brief intervention about early identification of work-related stress combined with feedback at consultation with a general practitioner (GP) on the number of self-reported sick leave days. Design Randomised controlled trial. Prospective analyses of self-reported sick leave data collected between November 2015 and January 2017. Setting Seven primary healthcare centres in western Sweden. Participants The study included 271 employed, non-sick-listed patients aged 18-64 years seeking care for mental and/or physical health complaints. Of these, 132 patients were allocated to intervention and 139 patients to control. Interventions The intervention group received a brief intervention about work-related stress, including training for GPs, screening of patients' work-related stress, feedback to patients on screening results and discussion of measures at GP consultation. The control group received treatment as usual. Outcome measures The number of self-reported gross sick leave days and the number of self-reported net sick leave days, thereby also considering part-time sick leave. Results At 6 months' follow-up, 220/271 (81%) participants were assessed, while at 12 months' follow-up, 241/271 (89%) participants were assessed. At 6-month follow-up, 59/105 (56%) in the intervention group and 61/115 (53%) in the control group reported no sick leave. At 12-month follow-up, the corresponding numbers were 61/119 (51%) and 57/122 (47%), respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the intervention group and the control group in the median number of self-reported gross sick leave days and the median number of self-reported net sick leave days. Conclusions The brief intervention showed no effect on the numbers of self-reported sick leave days for patients seeking care at the primary healthcare centres. Other actions and new types of interventions need to be explored to address patients' perceiving of ill health due to work-related stress. 

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Allmänmedicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- General Practice (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Arbetsterapi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Occupational Therapy (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Occupational Health and Environmental Health (hsv//eng)

Keyword

medical education & training

occupational & industrial medicine

primary care

public health

adult

article

consultation

controlled study

female

follow up

general practitioner

human

industrial medicine

job stress

major clinical study

male

medical education

medical leave

outcome assessment

randomized controlled trial

Sweden

young adult

Research on Citizen Centered Health, University of Skövde (Reacch US)

Medborgarcentrerad hälsa (Mech)

General & Internal Medicine

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)