Introduction/Rationale: The Return-to-Work (RTW) programme was introduced in 2017 in Singapore’s public hospitals. Injured workers covered under the Work Injury Compensation Act with at least 14 days of medical leave are assigned to a RTW coordinator (RTWC) to collaborate with stakeholders and develop RTW plans.
Objectives: This study investigates the impact of the RTW programme, integrated with Occupational Therapy (OT) services, on work absence duration, pain scores, self-perceived overall health and work ability over 3 years.
Methods: A retrospective quasi-experimental study evaluated 196 participants (between 2017-2019 and 2021-2022). Each participant was assigned an Occupational Therapist as their RTWC. Outcome measures included time to first RTW , RTW category, pain scores, self-perceived work ability and health status at baseline and discharge. Comparisons were made between those who returned to work and those who did not.
Results: Participants were mostly male (85.2%) and foreign workers (59.2%), with a mean age of 42.9 years. The median time to first RTW was 85 days. At discharge, 88.3% returned to work, with 84% returning to the same employer and about 60% returning to the same job. Significant improvements were observed in pain scores, health status, and work ability. Those who returned to work had lower baseline pain scores and higher work ability and health status ratings compared to those unable to RTW .
Conclusion: RTW coordination is an emerging OT role in Singapore. Lower initial pain, better perception of health, and higher perceived work ability were associated with successful RTW . These findings highlight the importance of targeting these factors to improve RTW outcomes.