Development of a Core Outcome Set for Work Participation (COS-WP)
In the field of insurance medicine and occupational health ‘work participation’ is frequently used as an umbrella term. Several outcomes are linked to ‘work participation’ as a concept and the instruments to measure these outcomes differ. Lack of standardization in outcome measurement and reporting greatly hinders the synthesis of research and, consequently, hampers decision making at the cost of the best possible treatment and social medical guidance for workers. The project aims to develop a universally applicable and broadly agreed COS for work participation that should be used when conducting RCTs and systematic reviews so that we can achieve the best possible treatment and social medical guidance for our clients. PI of this project is Jan Hoving (Amsterdam UMC).
Research group: Jan Hoving (PI), Margarita Ravinskaya, Jos H. Verbeek, Miranda Langendam, Regina Kunz, Suzanne Verstappen, Ira Madan, Carel Hulshof
References: Ravinskaya M, Verbeek JH, Langendam M, Daams JG, Hulshof CTJ, Madan I, et al. Extensive variability of work participation outcomes measured in randomized controlled trials: a systematic review. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. 2022 142:60-99.
More: https://www.comet-initiative.org/studies/details/1195
COS-WP: Variability of work participation outcomes measured in randomized controlled trials
Study aimed to investigate how work participation outcomes in randomized controlled trials are measured internationally and across disciplines. Trials that reported on work participation in Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and Cochrane Central (published between 2014 and 2019) were identified. Outcomes were grouped into four categories (“employment status”, “absence from work”, “at-work productivity loss,” and “employability”).
Research group: Jan Hoving (PI), Margarita Ravinskaya, Jos H. Verbeek, Miranda Langendam, Regina Kunz, Suzanne Verstappen, Ira Madan, Carel Hulshof
References: Ravinskaya M, Verbeek JH, Langendam M, Daams JG, Hulshof CTJ, Madan I, et al. Extensive variability of work participation outcomes measured in randomized controlled trials: a systematic review. J Clin Epidemiol. 2022;142:60-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2021.10.013
COS-WP: Framework core outcome sets for work participation
Work participation is important for health and can be considered as engagement in a major area of life which is of significance for most people, but it can also be thought of as fulfilling or discharging a role. Currently, academic research lacks a comprehensive classification of work participation outcomes. The aim of the current project is to propose a framework which can be used to develop a generic core outcome set for work participation.
Research group: Jan Hoving (PI), Margarita Ravinskaya, Jos H. Verbeek, Miranda Langendam, Regina Kunz, Suzanne Verstappen, Ira Madan, Carel Hulshof
References: Ravinskaya M, Verbeek JH, Langendam MW, Madan I, Verstappen SMM, Kunz R, Hulshof CTJ, Hoving JL. A general framework for selecting work participation outcomes in intervention studies among persons with health problems: a concept paper. BMC Public Health. 2022 Nov 26;22(1):2189. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14564-0
COS-WP: Survey on Preferred Methods of Measuring Work Participation
In this survey we explore authors’ reasons for choosing specific work participation outcomes and their measurement methods, including employment status, absence from work, at-work productivity loss, and employability. We contacted authors of 260 trials and 69 systematic reviews and asked closed and open-ended questions about previously used work participation outcomes and measurement methods as well as their opinion on the best way to measure work participation.
Research group: Jan Hoving (PI), Margarita Ravinskaya, Jos H. Verbeek, Miranda Langendam, Regina Kunz, Suzanne Verstappen, Ira Madan, Carel Hulshof
References: Ravinskaya M, Verbeek JH, Langendam MW, Madan I, Verstappen SMM, Kunz R, et al. Preferred Methods of Measuring Work Participation: An International Survey Among Trialists and Cochrane Systematic Reviewers. J Occup Rehabil. 2022; 32(4):620-628. https://rdcu.be/c5ACC
COS-WP: A Core Outcome Set for work participation developed in an international multi-stakeholder Delphi study
We used a five-step approach to reach international multi-stakeholder consensus on a core outcome set for work participation. Five sub-groups of stakeholders took part in two rounds of discussions and completed two Delphi voting rounds on 26 outcomes. Fifty-eight stakeholders took part in the Delphi rounds. Core outcomes were: “any type of employment including self-employment”, “proportion of workers that return to work after being absent because of illness” and “time to return to work”. Ten candidate outcomes were proposed, among others: “sustainable employment”, “work productivity”, and “workers’ perception of return to work”.
Research group: Jan Hoving (PI), Margarita Ravinskaya, Jos H. Verbeek, Miranda Langendam, Regina Kunz, Suzanne Verstappen, Ira Madan, Carel Hulshof
References: Ravinskaya M, Verbeek JH, Langendam M, Madan I, Verstappen SMM, Kunz R, Hulshof CTJ, Hoving JL; Delphi participants. Which outcomes should always be measured in intervention studies for improving work participation for people with a health problem? An international multistakeholder Delphi study to develop a core outcome set for Work participation (COS for Work). BMJ Open. 2023 Feb 15;13(2):e069174. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-069174