Stakeholder priorities for rehabilitation to support functioning at home and work among people on sick leave due to low back pain: a group concept mapping study

OBJECTIVE: To identify, organize, and prioritize stakeholder-defined components of rehabilitation to support functioning in everyday life, at home and at work, among people on sick leave due to low back pain. DESIGN: Participatory mixed-methods study using group concept mapping conducted in Denmark. SUBJECTS/PATIENTS: Participants with lived experience of low back pain and sickness absence, healthcare and employment professionals, workplace representatives, and researchers. METHODS: Stakeholders completed online brainstorming, sorting, and rating, followed by a validation workshop. Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis were applied. RESULTS: Brainstorming involved 101 participants and generated 190 ideas, synthesized into 125 statements. Sorting and rating data were provided by 23 and 36 participants, respectively. Eleven participants attended the validation workshop. Six clusters consisted of self-management, physical training and activity, workplace involvement, interdisciplinary coordination, individual support, and extended assessment. Thirty-nine statements (31.2%) were rated very important and all clusters received high importance ratings. CONCLUSION: Stakeholder priorities encompassed physical, psychological, social, and work-related aspects of rehabilitation, consistent with a biopsychosocial perspective. Rehabilitation was conceptualized as a coordinated, adaptive, and person-centred process across sectors and everyday-life contexts. Although represented across clusters, functioning at home did not emerge as a distinct domain and requires further attention in low back pain rehabilitation.