Rehabilitation cooperation and person-centred dialogue meeting for patients sick-listed for common mental disorders: 12 months follow-up of sick leave days, symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and work ability - a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial from the CO-WORK-CARE project.

Objectives: To study whether early and enhanced cooperation within the primary care centres (PCC) combined with workplace cooperation via a person-centred employer dialogue meeting can reduce days on sick leave compared with usual care manager contact for patients on sick leave because of common mental disorders (CMD). Secondary aim: to study lapse of CMD symptoms, perceived Work Ability Index (WAI) and quality of life (QoL) during 12 months.
Design: Pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial, randomisation at PCC level.
Setting: 28 PCCs in Region Västra Götaland, Sweden, with care manager organisation.
Participants: 30 PCCs were invited, 28 (93%) accepted invitation (14 intervention, 14 control) and recruited 341 patients newly sick-listed because of CMD (n=185 at intervention, n=156 at control PCCs).
Intervention: Complex intervention consisting of (1) early cooperation among general practitioner (GP), care manager and a rehabilitation coordinator, plus (2) a person-centred dialogue meeting between patient and employer within 3 months.
Control Group: regular contact with care manager.
Main Outcome Measures: 12 months net and gross number of sick leave days at group level.
Secondary Outcomes: 12 months depression, anxiety, stress symptoms, perceived WAI and QoL (EuroQoL-5 Dimensional, EQ-5D).
Results: No significant differences were found between intervention and control groups concerning days of sick leave (intervention net days of sick leave mean 102.48 (SE 13.76) vs control 96.29 (SE 12.38) p=0.73), return to work (HR 0.881, 95% CI 0.688 to 1.128), or CMD symptoms, WAI or EQ-5D after 12 months.
Conclusions: It is not possible to speed up CMD patients' return to work or to reduce sick leave time by early and enhanced coordination among GP, care manager and a rehabilitation coordinator, combined with early workplace contact over and above what 'usual' care manager contact during 3 months provides.
Trial Registration Number: NCT03250026.
Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.
(© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)