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Background: People with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and arthritis often experience challenges at work with associated temporary work absence and reliance on illness payments. Low rates of return to paid work persist, and permanent work disability is common, therefore, supporting people to remain in work is key. Limited knowledge exists regarding the impact of vocational rehabilitation on work ability and work retention for this cohort. One-to-one tailored vocational rehabilitation for those with inflammatory arthritis has indicated positive outcomes (Hammond et al 2017). Work-Able Solutions is an occupational therapy vocational rehabilitation service for people with MSDs and arthritis in Ireland. This multisite clinical project is funded by the Sláintecare Integration Innovation Fund (2022) for a 24-month pilot. Work-Able Solutions services provide early access to individualised and tailored evidence-based interventions to people with MSDs and arthritis who require help to remain in or return to work. The project was designed by the National Clinical Programme for Rheumatology informed by the rheumatology programme of work and priorities, existing research, and clinical practice. Inclusion criteria include working age adults, with an MSD or arthritis, currently in paid employment or in receipt of illness benefit ≤6 months, with a client-reported work concern. Referrals are accepted from primary care and rheumatology multidisciplinary team members. Each patient receives a two-hour initial assessment followed by four one-hour intervention sessions (with scope for further intervention sessions subject to need) delivered by a skilled occupational therapist. Intervention is flexible in timing and delivery and may be face-to face, virtual, and include a workplace visit. The programme is now operational for a seven-month period however, pilot sites have had staggered starts. Concurrent to the clinical project delivery, research is ongoing to compare before and after outcomes and to examine the effectiveness of the project. Objectives: To provide a preliminary report on the profile and needs of individuals attending this service. Methods: An audit of the Work-Able Solutions dataset was completed. Ethical approval was obtained from the Research Ethics Committees of St Vincent's Healthcare Group, Naas General Hospital, HSE South East. Results: Data up to 9th January 2023 are presented. Conclusion: Preliminary findings indicate the scale and needs of this cohort. High work retention at discharge and low attrition rates indicates the relevance of this service and provide early insights into the potential impact of Work-Able Solutions in supporting work return and retention. REFERENCES: 1 Hammond, A., O'Brien, R., Woodbridge, S., Bradshaw, L., Prior, Y., Radford, K., Culley, J., Whitham, D., and Ruth, P.-J. (2017) 'Job retention vocational rehabilitation for employed people with inflammatory arthritis (WORK-IA): a feasibility randomized controlled trial', BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 18(1), 315, available: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-017-1671-5. Acknowledgements: NIL. Disclosure of Interests: None declared.
Codd et al. (Sat,) studied this question.