Swedish Rehabilitation Professionals’ Perspectives on Work Ability Assessments in a Changing Sickness Insurance System

• Purpose: This article analyses Swedish rehabilitation professionals’ perspectives on how changed sickness insurance regulations will affect their practice and cooperation, with a special focus on work ability assessments. Method: Two groups of representatives (n=15) from different organizations involved in rehabilitation and return-towork met 7 times to discuss their practice from a cooperation perspective. The groups worked with a tutor according to a problem-based methodology to discuss how their practice is influenced by new structures for cooperation. The material was analysed inductively using qualitative content analysis. Results: The results show that work ability assessments are often made without considering work characteristics. Officials at the Social Insurance Agency do not consider themselves competent in assessing work ability. The basis for decisions of eligibility for sickness benefits is thus weak, which is troublesome from a legal perspective. The officials do not cooperate with employers or occupational health services in work ability assessments. Conclusions: Recent policy changes calls for comprehensive cooperation between the insurance system, health care, employment services and employers. This study shows that there are flaws in this cooperation. The design of the system is in conflict with the policy ambition of increasing return-to-work, because it disregards employers as cooperation partners.

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Community medicine

Samhällsmedicin

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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