Heart failure clients’ encounters with professionals and self-rated ability to return to work

Abstract

Background People with heart failure are sick listed for long periods and disability pension is common. Healthcare professionals need knowledge about factors that can enhance their return to work processes. Aims This study focus on people on sick leave due to heart failure and their encounters with healthcare professionals/social insurance officers. Specifically, it aimed to investigate associations between: (1) encounters and socio-demographic factors and, (2) encounters and self-rated ability to return to work. Material and methods A cross-sectional study based on registry data and a postal questionnaire to people on sick leave due to heart failure (n = 590). Bivariate correlation analyses and logistic regression analyses were used. Results Gender, income, and age were strongly associated with encounters with both social insurance officers and healthcare professionals. Self-rated ability to return to work was associated with the encounters ‘Made reasonable demands’, ‘Gave clear and adequate information/advice’ and ‘Did not keep our agreements’. Conclusion and significance To enhance clients’ abilities to return to work demands should be reasonable, information and advice need to be clear, and agreements should be kept. These results can be used by healthcare professionals as occupational therapists involved in vocational rehabilitation for people on sick leave due to heart failure.

Keywords:

• Cross-sectional
• heart disease
• logistic regression
• rehabilitation
• sick leave

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Professor Kristina Alexanderson, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, for permission to use the questionnaire.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Funding information

This work was supported by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (reference number 25728/2010).