Outcome of multidisciplinary investigations of long-term sickness absentees

The aim was to investigate the results of multidisciplinary investigations of long-term sickness absentees regarding diagnoses, degree and prognoses of work incapacity, and need of rehabilitation measures and whether this was associated with socio-demographic factors.

A cross-sectional study of 545 long-term (>1 year) sickness absentees referred to multidisciplinary investigations by the Social Insurance Office. Data was obtained from questionnaires and medical records. The patients were examined by specialists in psychiatry, orthopaedic surgery, and rehabilitation medicine who afterwards agreed on diagnoses, work incapacity, time to return to work (RTW), and rehabilitation measures. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used for description and analyses of data. Data on age, country of birth, education, employment and marital status were included.

The prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses was 72%, and 58% of the patients had that in combination with somatic diagnoses. Most patients were assessed to be capable of RTW within 6 - 24 months after further rehabilitation measures. Higher age was associated with a negative prognosis of RTW and those patients were less often recommended additional rehabilitation.

Despite long-term sickness absence and high rates of psychiatric and somatic diagnoses in combination, RTW was considered possible for most patients after further rehabilitation measures.