Effectiveness of Occupational Health Interventions to Reduce Sickness Absence
Author Information
Author(s): Taimela S, Malmivaara A, Justén S, Läärä E, Sintonen H, Tiekso J, Aro T
Primary Institution: Evalua International
Hypothesis
Can occupational health intervention programmes effectively reduce sickness absence among employees at risk?
Conclusion
The occupational health intervention was effective in reducing sickness absence among high-risk employees, while the phone advice intervention for intermediate-risk employees was not effective.
Supporting Evidence
- The high risk group accounted for 62% of sickness absence days.
- Mean sickness absence was reduced from 30 days to 19 days in the high risk intervention group.
- The phone advice intervention for the intermediate risk group did not show a significant effect on sickness absence.
Takeaway
This study found that helping workers who are likely to get sick can reduce the number of days they miss work. But just giving advice over the phone didn't help those who were at a lower risk.
Methodology
Two randomised controlled trials were conducted with employees classified into high, intermediate, and low-risk groups based on a health survey.
Potential Biases
Potential control arm contamination due to subjects in usual care receiving similar treatment as intervention subjects.
Limitations
The study cannot determine the overall effectiveness of the screening programme as there was no initial randomisation for receiving the screening questionnaire.
Participant Demographics
The study included 1341 employees, predominantly males (88%), with an average age of 44 years, and 62% were blue-collar workers.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI 1 to 20 days
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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