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Substantial sick-leave costs savings due to a graded activity intervention for workers with non-specific sub-acute low back pain

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Abstract

The objective of this study is to compare the costs and benefits of a graded activity (GA) intervention to usual care (UC) for sick-listed workers with non-specific low back pain (LBP). The study is a single-blind, randomized controlled trial with 3-year follow-up. A total of 134 (126 men and 8 women) predominantly blue-collar workers, sick-listed due to LBP were recruited and randomly assigned to either GA (N = 67; mean age 39 ± 9 years) or to UC (N = 67; mean age 37 ± 8 years). The main outcome measures were the costs of health care utilization during the first follow-up year and the costs of productivity loss during the second and the third follow-up year. At the end of the first follow-up year an average investment for the GA intervention of €475 per worker, only €83 more than health care utilization costs in UC group, yielded an average savings of at least €999 (95% CI: −1,073; 3,115) due to a reduction in productivity loss. The potential cumulative savings were an average of €1,661 (95% CI: −4,154; 6,913) per worker over a 3-year follow-up period. It may be concluded that the GA intervention for non-specific LBP is a cost-beneficial return-to-work intervention.

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Acknowledgment

Grant support: by the Dutch Health Insurance Executive Council (CVZ), grant DPZ 169/0.

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Author notes

  1. J. Bart Staal

    Present address: Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Authors and Affiliations

  1. KLM Health Services, Postbus 7700 (SPL/AG), 1117 ZL Luchthaven, Schiphol, The Netherlands

    Hynek Hlobil & Tjabe Smid

  2. Department of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Hynek Hlobil, Kimi Uegaki, J. Bart Staal, Tjabe Smid & Willem van Mechelen

  3. Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Hynek Hlobil, Kimi Uegaki, J. Bart Staal, Martine C. de Bruyne, Tjabe Smid & Willem van Mechelen

  4. Research Centre Body @ Work TNO VUmc, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Willem van Mechelen

Authors
  1. Hynek Hlobil
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  2. Kimi Uegaki
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  3. J. Bart Staal
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  6. Willem van Mechelen
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Correspondence to Hynek Hlobil.

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Hlobil, H., Uegaki, K., Staal, J.B. et al. Substantial sick-leave costs savings due to a graded activity intervention for workers with non-specific sub-acute low back pain. Eur Spine J 16, 919–924 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-006-0283-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-006-0283-9

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