The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of the Multi-disciplinary Orthopaedics Rehabilitation Empowerment (MORE) Program on reducing chronic disability among injured workers and improving efficiency of work rehabilitation process.
METHODS:
A cohort of patients with workplace injuries in the lower back were recruited from orthopaedics clinics and assigned to either MORE group (n= 139) or control group (n= 106). Patients in MORE group received an early MRI screening and a coordinated multi-disciplinary management, while patients in the control group received conventional care. Outcome variables are time to return-to-work (RTW) from date of injury, waiting time for MRI screening and time to medical assessment board (MAB).
RESULTS:
Patients in the MORE Program had significantly shorter duration for RTW (MORE: 6.1 months, Control: 12.8 months, p< 0.01), and more RTW cases (n= 64, 46.0%) compared to Control group (n= 29, 27.4%). The MORE group also had much shorter waiting time for MRI scans (91.85 vs. 309.2 days, p< 0.001) and MAB referral after MRI scans (97.2 vs. 178.9 days, p= 0.001) compared to Control group.
CONCLUSIONS:
The MORE Program which emphasizes early intervention and early MRI screening, is shown to be effective in shortening sick leave and improving RTW outcomes of injured workers.
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