OBJECTIVE To study levels of sick leave and disability pension before and after TNF-antagonist therapy in AS patients. METHODS Using the population-based South Swedish Arthritis Treatment Group register, we identified 139 AS patients (aged 18-58 years, 78% men), who between January 2002 and December 2008 started their first treatment with adalimumab, etanercept or infliximab. We linked data t...

Study objective: In the United Kingdom, recognition of the links between social and health problems has led to government initiatives such as health action zones. The principles of civil law apply to many types of social problem, and the civil justice system provides one means through which they can be tackled. However, little research has been undertaken into the particular links between probl...

BACKGROUND Individuals who are sick and unable to work may receive wage replacement benefits from an insurer. For these provisions, a disability evaluation is required. This disability evaluation is criticised for lack of standardisation and transparency. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) was developed to express the situation of people with disability...

In this paper, we analyze exits from long-term sickness spells in Sweden. Using spell data for more than 2500 people, aged 20-64 years during 1986-1991, and who had at least one sickness spell of at least 60 days during 1986-1989, the aim is to analyze the transition to different states, i.e., return to work, full disability pension, partial disability pension, and other exit from the labor for...

OBJECTIVE Service members undergoing disability evaluation are placed on the temporary disability retirement list (TDRL) when their disabling medical condition(s) may change in severity over time. Information is sparse on the epidemiology of the TDRL population and factors influencing time spent on the TDRL or changes in compensation ratings before final disability outcome. METHODS A cross-se...

BACKGROUND Evidence-based medicine (EBM), a comprehensive method to support clinical decision making by using evidence, has been instrumental in clinical specialties but not yet in insurance medicine. AIMS We developed and evaluated a workshop on EBM for Dutch social insurance physicians who perform disability evaluations. METHODS Sixty-six social insurance physicians followed a 1-day intro...