Does the quality of encounters affect return to work? Lay people describe their experiences of meeting various professionals during their rehabilitation process

BACKGROUND: Among the many aspects of the rehabilitation process that may be relevant for its outcome, the impact of encounters with various professionals has received little attention. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to gain a deeper understanding of how individuals with experiences of being on sick leave perceive their encounters with professionals, and how such encounters affected their ability to return to work, as well as their attitudes towards the sickness insurance system. METHODS: An inductive qualitative approach was used to analyze data from 20 interviews with men and women, aged 33–59, in Sweden who had experience of being on sick leave for at least 28 days. RESULTS: The study shows how interviewees encounters with professionals affected their self-confidence and perception of their ability to return to work. Professionals’ treatment of people on sick leave seems to be affected by the structural prerequisites for offering support, where sickness insurance regulations are suggested to have a large impact. CONCLUSIONS: An encouraging and supportive attitude on the part of the professionals is essential for empowering people to handle obstacles during the rehabilitation process; whereas feeling rejected and belittled in the return to work process may lead to disempowerment, and/or delays in measures and longer periods on sick leave.