Biomaterial Database

Nonphysical factors that affect work hardening success: a retrospective study. 1995

M Petersen

Rehabilitation Services, University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville, USA.

The high cost of health care and limited information regarding the effects of work hardening have prompted a need to further study work hardening programs. The purpose of this study was to determine the success of a work hardening program that included physical, occupational, and psychological therapies, and to determine if there are nonphysical factors associated with successful work hardening. One hundred medical records of injured workers with low back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders were retrospectively reviewed. Factors examined included months of injury, education level, sex, race, presence of an attorney, prior surgery, pain behaviors, smoking, medication use, and diagnosis severity. Seventy-six percent of the subjects successfully completed the program, and 50% of the subjects were returned to work at discharge. Nonphysical factors that limited successful work hardening were presence of pain behaviors (p < .01), attorney representation (p < .01), McAndrews score above 70 (p < .05), and education less than high school (p < .05). The author concludes that the return to work rate for injured workers in this study is comparable to rates of previous studies and that there are nonphysical factors associated with the success of work hardening.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009784	Occupational Diseases	Diseases caused by factors involved in one's employment.	Diseases, Occupational,Occupational Illnesses,Disease, Occupational,Illnesse, Occupational,Illnesses, Occupational,Occupational Disease,Occupational Illnesse
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D012959	Socioeconomic Factors	Social and economic factors that characterize the individual or group within the social structure.	Economic and Social Factors,Social Inequalities,Social Inequality,Social and Economic Factors,Socioeconomic Characteristics,Factors, Socioeconomic,High-Income Population,Land Tenure,Standard of Living,Characteristic, Socioeconomic,Factor, Socioeconomic,High Income Population,High-Income Populations,Inequality, Social,Living Standard,Living Standards,Population, High-Income,Socioeconomic Characteristic,Socioeconomic Factor,Tenure, Land
D013997	Time Factors	Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations.	Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor
D016896	Treatment Outcome	Evaluation undertaken to assess the results or consequences of management and procedures used in combating disease in order to determine the efficacy, effectiveness, safety, and practicability of these interventions in individual cases or series.	Rehabilitation Outcome,Treatment Effectiveness,Clinical Effectiveness,Clinical Efficacy,Patient-Relevant Outcome,Treatment Efficacy,Effectiveness, Clinical,Effectiveness, Treatment,Efficacy, Clinical,Efficacy, Treatment,Outcome, Patient-Relevant,Outcome, Rehabilitation,Outcome, Treatment,Outcomes, Patient-Relevant,Patient Relevant Outcome,Patient-Relevant Outcomes
D026741	Physical Therapy Modalities	Therapeutic modalities frequently used in PHYSICAL THERAPY SPECIALTY by PHYSICAL THERAPISTS or physiotherapists to promote, maintain, or restore the physical and physiological well-being of an individual.	Physical Therapy,Physiotherapy (Techniques),Group Physiotherapy,Neurological Physiotherapy,Neurophysiotherapy,Physical Therapy Techniques,Group Physiotherapies,Modalities, Physical Therapy,Modality, Physical Therapy,Physical Therapies,Physical Therapy Modality,Physical Therapy Technique,Physiotherapies (Techniques),Physiotherapies, Group,Physiotherapy, Group,Physiotherapy, Neurological,Techniques, Physical Therapy,Therapy, Physical