Evidence and gap map of occupational health services to support return to work (for adults) following sickness identifies implications for practice and priorities for research
Background
Occupational Health services play an important role in helping employed people who are unwell or living with a disability to stay in work. These services are currently mainly run by doctors and nurses with Occupational Health qualifications. The number of people with these qualifications is going down, whilst demand for their services is increasing.
There is already research on how well Occupational Health teams work together, to support employed adults to return to work, and if they provide value for money. However, this research doesn’t tell us which combination of professionals working together, or which activities they do, results in people returning to work more quickly.
What we want to know?
We are interested in the quantity and quality of existing research which looks at how well Occupational Health activities support employed adults to return to work following a period of sick leave. We are also interested in research which looked at whether these activities provide value for money to the people delivering them.
What is an evidence and gap map?
Our evidence and gap map (EGM) gives a visual summary of existing research on how well different models of Occupational Health services work, to help people with different health conditions return to work. The EGM summarises the amount and quality of research on this topic for different health conditions.
What studies are included?
Our evidence and gap map includes systematic reviews. Systematic reviews bring together research which has already been published on a topic relating to a specific research question. We sought systematic reviews which focused on research looking at how well strategies carried out by teams of different professionals support people to return to work, and if these are worth the money they cost.
We included research that was published in English and focused on working adults (aged 16 and over). To be included, the strategies to support people to return to work needed to be delivered by more than one professional and have some link to the workplace.
What are the main findings of this evidence and gap map?
We included 98 systematic reviews. Thirty of these were judged to be of most relevance to our research question and are presented in the evidence and gap map.
The map shows the amount and quality of systematic review evidence for each health condition and how well the strategies evaluated within them were reported to work. The types of strategies included in the systematic reviews varied widely, as did the quality of the reviews themselves. The most common health conditions represented in the evidence and gap map were musculoskeletal problems such as back pain.
What do the findings of the map mean?
This evidence and gap map provides information for policy makers and health professionals commissioning or delivering occupational health interventions. It also indicates a need for more research relating to people living with cardiac conditions, cancer, stroke and skin problems.
How up to date is this evidence and gap map?
The authors searched for systematic reviews published from 2001 to 21st February 2023.