Effectiveness of www.SnelBeter.nl: activating occupational care on-line in employees with sickness absence due to back or neck pain.

Objective:

This study will investigate the effectiveness of an interactive website for employees sicklisted because of neck or back pain. The hypothesis is that employees, by using this website, learn how to handle the situation. This will improve recovery and stimulate earlier return to work. Besides, the OPs will receive more information by using this website. Due to this extra information OPs can refer quickly to a specific intervention. We will start a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of 128 employees with neck or back pain. Randomisation will take place on the level of the OPs. Employees in both the intervention and control group will receive usual care. Besides, employees in the intervention group will also use the website.

The primary outcome measures are: employees understanding of their situation and autonomy, performance of OPs and time to refer by the OP. The secondary study parameter is time to full return to work. Data are mostly collected by webbased questionnaires at the start of a sickness absence period and at 6 months follow-up. Additionally, data are derived from the OPs about time to recovery and activities. The study has started in January 2006, but inclusion of participants will start in September 2006. We expect to present the results of our study in December 2007.

Many employees who are sicklisted do not really know how to handle the situation. Simple and specific education and individually based instructions through a website can possibly solve or reduce this problem. Besides, the website contains a questionnaire which offers relevant information for the occupational physician (OP). This can be a helpfull tool, because OPs unfortenately often neglet guidelines. Previous studies show that OPs do not refer at all or refer too late to specific interventions. This study will investigate the effectiveness of an interactive website. The hypothesis is that employees, by using this website, learn how to handle the situation. This will improve recovery and stimulate earlier return to work. Besides, the OPs will receive more information by using this website. Due to this extra information OPs can refer quickly to an intervention.

N/A

All participants will receive usual care in accordance with the guidelines for OPs.
Besides, participants in the intervention group will also use the website. This website is an extra tool to understand their situation and illustrates what they can do themselves to solve the problem. The website generates simple but specific information about the situation for each employee. Moreover, the website gives individually based instructions.
Besides, the OPs will receive more information by using this website. Due to this extra information OPs can refer quickly to an intervention.