Developing and testing a case-management intervention to support the return to work of healthcare workers with common mental health disorders

Abstract

Background: to assess the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a trial of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a new case-management intervention to facilitate the return to work of healthcare workers on sick leave with a common mental disorder (CMD).

Methods: a mixed methods feasibility study.

Results: systematic review examined forty articles and two guidelines. Forty-nine National Health Service Occupational Health (OH) providers completed a usual care survey. We trained six OH nurses as case-managers and established six recruitment sites. Forty-two out of 1938 staff on sick leave with a CMD were screened for eligibility, 24 participants were recruited. 94% were female. Eleven participants received the intervention and 13 received usual care. Engagement with most intervention components was excellent. Return-to-work self-efficacy improved more in the intervention group than the usual care group. Qualitative feedback showed the intervention was acceptable.

Conclusion: the intervention was acceptable, feasible and low cost to deliver, but it was not considered feasible to recommend a large-scale effectiveness trial unless an effective method could be devised to improve the early OH referral of staff off sick with CMD. Alternatively, the intervention could be trialled as a new stand-alone OH intervention initiated at the time of usual OH referral.

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Identifiers

ORCID for David Coggon: orcid.org/0000-0003-1930-3987

ORCID for Karen Walker-Bone: orcid.org/0000-0002-5992-1459

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