THU0496 RESULTS OF AN EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM ON THE VARIATIONS IN THE LENGTH OF MUSCULOSKELETAL TEMPORARY WORK DISABILITIES

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders cause in Spain 23% of temporary work disability (TD). They are the first cause of permanent work disability (PD). A study of early intervention by a rheumatologist reduced TD days reduced PD. Using the “Fit for Work” European coalition led by AbbVie, the program was implemented nationwide. Objectives: To analyze the variation in the duration of sick leaves in patients referred to an early intervention program in relation to the delay on the referral from primary care and from the Occupational Health service of our hospital. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study of a hospital cohort of patients referred for 34 consecutive months to the Rheumatology Early Intervention program due to TDdue to musculoskeletal pathologies. Patients whoseTD had a traumatic or surgical origin, or with incomplete information were excluded from the analysis. We created 4 groups of patients according to the time elapsed from the start of the TD until the referral to our office: 0 to 15 days, 15 to 30 days, 30-60 days or> 90 days. We compared the patients referred from primary care with those referred from occupational health. Results: For the analysis we included 394 patients, 63.3% women, with a mean age (±D.E.) of 48.5 (±9.8) years. We analyzed the most frequent pathologies: back pain (33.5%), shoulder pain (19.8%) and neck pain (8.4%). 85.8% came from primary care, 10.2% from occupational health and 4.1% from other units. The median time between referral and 1st consultation was 6 days. We found statistically significant differences in the total duration of TD among the patients referred to consultation in the first 30 days compared to those sent later in the 3 pathologies (decreasing the duration of TD between 50 and 100 days in low back pain, between 44 and 54 days in shoulder pain and between 13 and 20 days in neck pain). In back pain we found statistically significant differences in the duration of the TD after the 1st consultation, obtaining an average decrease in the duration of the TD between 42 and 52 days. In shoulder pain and neck pain an important decrease is observed without reaching statistical significance, probably related to the sample size. Regarding the patients referred from occupational health, the median time between TD and referral was 2.5 days. The pathology most frequently evaluated was low back pain (60% of cases), finding statistically significant differences in the total duration of TD, with a mean decrease in the duration of TD of 59 days compared to the general population. Conclusion: Early intervention by rheumatologists in patients with TD due to musculoskeletal disorders reduces the duration of the processes, saving costs to the health system. Disclosure of Interests: None declared