The key features of the program include ; having trained personnel coordinate the RTW process , identifying and ranking barriers and solutions to RTW from the perspective of all important stakeholders , mediating practical solutions at the workplace and , empowering the injured worker in RTW decision-making .
Background Despite over 2 decades of research , the ability to prevent  work-related low back pain ( LBP ) and disability  remains elusive .
Recent research suggests that interventions that are focused at the workplace and incorporate the principals of participatory ergonomics and return-to-work ( RTW ) coordination can improve RTW and reduce disability following a work-related back injury .
Workplace interventions or programs to improve RTW  are difficult to design and implement given the various individuals and environments involved , each with their own unique circumstances .
Intervention mapping provides a framework for design ing and implementing complex interventions or programs .
The objective of this study is to design a best evidence RTW program for occupational LBP tailored to the Ontario setting using an intervention mapping approach .
Secondary Prevention of Work-Related Disability in Nonspecific Low Back Pain: Does Problem-Solving Therapy Help? A Randomized Clinical Trial
Objectives Given the individual and economic burden of chronic work disability in low back pain patients , there is a need for effective preventive interventions . The aim of the present study was to investigate whether problem-solving therapy had a supplemental value when added to behavioral grade d activity , regarding days of sick leave and work status . Design R and omized controlled trial . Patients and Setting Employees who were recently on sick leave as a result of nonspecific low back pain were referred to the rehabilitation center by general practitioner , occupational physician , or rehabilitation physician . Forty-five employees had been r and omly assigned to the experimental treatment condition that included behavioral grade d activity and problem-solving therapy ( GAPS ) , and 39 employees had been r and omly assigned to behavioral grade d activity and group education ( GAGE ) . Outcome Measures Days of sick leave and work status . Data were retrieved from occupational health services . Results Data analyses showed that employees in the GAPS group had significantly fewer days of sick leave in the second half-year after the intervention . Moreover , work status was more favorable for employees in this condition , in that more employees had a 100 % return-to-work and fewer patients ended up receiving disability pensions one year after the intervention . Sensitivity analyses confirmed these results . Conclusions The addition of problem-solving therapy to behavioral grade d activity had supplemental value in employees with nonspecific low back pain
The key features of the program include ; having trained personnel coordinate the RTW process , identifying and ranking barriers and solutions to RTW from the perspective of all important stakeholders , mediating practical solutions at the workplace and , empowering the injured worker in RTW decision-making .
Background Despite over 2 decades of research , the ability to prevent  work-related low back pain ( LBP ) and disability  remains elusive .
Recent research suggests that interventions that are focused at the workplace and incorporate the principals of participatory ergonomics and return-to-work ( RTW ) coordination can improve RTW and reduce disability following a work-related back injury .
Workplace interventions or programs to improve RTW  are difficult to design and implement given the various individuals and environments involved , each with their own unique circumstances .
Intervention mapping provides a framework for design ing and implementing complex interventions or programs .
The objective of this study is to design a best evidence RTW program for occupational LBP tailored to the Ontario setting using an intervention mapping approach .