Table 4 Study design, settings, in- & exclusion criteria, disciplines concerned and key measures/variables

Jousset et al., 2004

RCT/single blind

Patients of 3 counties in the west of France, referred to the multidisciplinary Low Back Pain clinic by industrial physicians, family doctors, specialists or social insurance medical advisers and assessed by a physiatrist, an occupational medicine specialist, a psychologist and an ergonomist

I : 18 - 50 years old, living in 3 counties in west of France, engaged in a non-limited contract, threatened, at risk of unable to work in their job situation by Low back pain LBP, not relieved by conventional medical or surgical intervention E: lack of motivation, major psychiatric diseases; no disabling (LBP), LBP of specific origin, recent surgery, cardiac of respiratory abnormalities after exercises stress, receiving disability pension, refusal to randomisation

• Aerobics,

• Strengthening exercises,

• Proprioception

• endurance training by physiotherapist

• OT

• Balneotherapy

• Psychologist

• Dietic advice

• RTW after 6 months end program

• Mean number of sick leave days

• Physical criteria

• Treatment appreciation

• Intensity of pain

• Quality of life

• Functional indexes

• Psychological characteristics

• Number of contacts with medical system

• Drug intake

Joy et al., 2001

Retrospective cohort study

Northern Californian work hardening program, patients authorised to attend by their workers compensation board

I : records from patients with low-back injuries referred to a work hardening program in Northern California from march 1989 to august 1996; at referral off work for 2 months or more since injury or surgery, entitled to workers- compen-sation benefitsE: data from patients referred for reasons other than low back injury

• Physiotherapist

• OT

• Vocational counsellor

• Psychologist

• Workroom foreman

• Functional capacity

• Age

• Length of injury (days)

• Time in program (days)

• Work status (did or did not RTW)

• Pain level

• Pain tolerance (% improvement)

• Activity tolerance (% improvement)

Lambeek et al. 2010

RCT

Primary care in the Netherlands

10 physiotherapy practices,

one occupational health service,

one occupational therapy practice

Secondary care

5 hospitals in the Netherlands.

I: age 18 - 65; low back pain (for more than 12 weeks); visited outpatient clinic in participating hospitals; in paid work (self-employed and paid employed) for at least 8 hours/weekabsent (total or partial) from work E: patients absent from work >2 yearsworked temporally or for an employment agency without detachment; specific low back pain due to infection, tumour, osteoporosis, RA, fracture, inflammatory process; undergone surgery or invasive examinations within 3 monthsserious psychiatric or cardiovascular illnesswere pregnant; were engaged in a lawsuit against their employer

• Clinical occupational physician

• Medical specialist

• OT

• Physiotherapist

• Primary

RTW:duration of sick leave due to low back pain in calendar days from the day of randomisation until full RTW (or work with equal earnings for al least 4 weeks without recurrence, partial or full).

• Secondary

pain (3,6,12 months)

functional status (3,6,12 months)

Schene et al., 2007

RCT

research was conducted as part of the Programme for Mood Disorders of the Department of Psychiatry of the Academic Medical Centre of Amsterdam

I: age above 18; major depressive disordersingle episode of recurrent without psychotic features; no history of psychosis, manic, hypo manic or cyclothymic features; no history of active drug or alcohol abuse or dependencea Beck Depression Inventory scale of > 15 work reduction of at least 50% of regular hours worked per week because of depression (with a minimum of 10 weeks and a maximum of 2 years) E: after telephonic screening on inclusion criteria, patients received a regular psychiatric evaluation(2 visits) by two trained senior psychiatrists who checked again for the inclusion criteria

• Psychiatrist (trained for the program)

• OT

• Age

• Gender

• Married or not

• Living alone or not

• Education (< high school or not)

• Employment before illness (hours/week)

• Major depressive disorderBeck Depression Inventory (BDI)

• Questionnaire Organisation Stress (QOS)

• Study specific questionnaires (qualitative data)

Sullivan et al., 2006

Longitudinal cohort study

5 eastern Canadian rehab centres (10 week standardized psychosocial intervention program, secondary prevention)

I : whiplash injury following an vehicle accident (grade I and II), score within the risk range (i.e. above 50 percentile) on at least one of the psychosocial measures targeted in the program, patient in one of 5 rehab clinics in eastern Canada whose staff had attended a 2-days training workshop on PGAP intervention techniques, being employed prior to their motor vehicle accident, providing informed consent participating in a functional restoration physical therapy program E: not being employed

• Physical therapist

• OT

• Occupational health nurse

• Office assistant (interviews)

• RTW (primary outcome variable)

• Catastrophizing

• Fear of movement or reinjury

• Perceived disability

• Pain severity

Vanderploeg

et al., 2008

RCT intent-to-treat: 2 different treatments

CARF standards of care interdisciplinary rehabilitation services in 4 veteran administration cure inpatient TBI rehabilitation programs (USA).

I : moderate to severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) within preceding 6 months (Glasgow outcome scale) and/or focal cerebral contusion (CT or MRI), RLAS cognitive level of 5 to 7 at time of randomisation, 18 years or older, active duty military member or veterananticipated length of needed TBI rehab of 30 days or more E: history of prior inpatient acute rehab for the current TBI, history of a prior moderate to severe TBI or other pre-injury severe neurological or psychiatric condition

• physical therapy

• OT

• Speech therapy

• Neuropsychological therapy

• RTW/school

• Living independently

• FIM

• DRS

• Satisfied with life

• Chance in martial state since injury

• Social withdrawal

• Worrying

• Depressed mood

• Irritability

• Angry behaviour