Return to Work Following Hip or Knee Arthroplasty: A One-Year Prospective Cohort Study in Participants with Direct Referral from Hospital to Occupational Health Care Services

In a new Finnish Coordinated Return to Work (CRTW) model, patients are referred to occupational health care after hip or knee arthroplasty. This study evaluated the CRTW model's effect on return to work (RTW), activities used in occupational health care and in the workplace, and the patient- and work-related factors affecting early RTW. 209 participants with occupational health care service underwent primary hip (THA) or total/unicondylar knee (KJA) arthroplasty and completed self-reported questionnaires after arthroplasty and at time of RTW. Factors affecting RTW, and the roles of occupational health care and the workplace in RTW were evaluated. Time to RTW was determined as days between the arthroplasty and RTW. Mean time to RTW was 69 days after THA and 87 days after KJA. For easing RTW, work arrangements were made for 56% of the participants. The most utilized adjustments of work were enabling remote work and arranging limitations in work tasks. Participants with earlier RTW had lower physical workload, higher professional status and motivation to work, less pre-arthroplasty sick leave, and more positive personal expectations about the time to RTW compared to participants with later RTW (p