A new Cochrane review report on interventions for rtw for depressed people summarises the following;

Studies we found

We found 23 studies, involving 5996 participants, that looked at the effects on sick leave of changes at work that were in addition to

regular treatment, better psychological treatment, improving primary care, antidepressant pills and exercise.

Effects of changes at work in addition to regular care

·         In three studies with 251 participants, researchers looked at changes at work such as work modification or coaching in addition to

regular care and found that these reduced sickness absence to a moderate extent.

·         In two studies, researchers tried to improve care that was already directed at changes at work but did not find any effects of these

improvements on sick leave.

Effects of psychological treatment

·         In three studies with 326 participants, researchers found that cognitive behavioural therapy that was provided online or by telephone

reduced sickness absence to a moderate extent compared to regular care.

·         In one high quality study, a special care programme carried out via the workplace also reduced sick leave when compared to regular

care.

Effects of antidepressant pills

·         Three studies compared antidepressant pills with each other but there were no consistent effects on sickness absence.

Improving primary care

·         Improving primary care through quality improvement programs for general practitioners did not reduce sickness absence in three

studies.

Exercise

·         One study found that participants had a reduction in sick leave after doing stretching exercises. Two other studies did not find an effect

on sick leave after physical exercises such as running or using the gymnasium.

More studies should look at the effects of changes at work. Regular clinical studies should also measure the effects on sick leave because

this is an important consequence of depression.

A summary report is attached

Karen