Aligning interprofessional collaboration in sick leave and return-to-work guidance: development of the ICF-based WARD instrument and guideline

PURPOSE: To improve interprofessional collaboration among occupational health professionals (OHPs) during the return-to-work (RTW) process, the Work Ability & Reintegration Description (WARD) instrument and a multidisciplinary guideline were developed based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The objectives of this study were [1]: to explore OHPs' experiences of challenges in interprofessional collaboration during sick leave and RTW guidance; and [2] to refine the WARD instrument to improve collaboration. METHODS: Five consecutive focus groups were conducted with 11 OHPs, using the Design Thinking method as a user-centred approach to explore challenges and solutions related to interprofessional collaboration during sick leave and the RTW process. The Sunnybrook framework for interprofessional team collaboration was used as an analytical framework. RESULTS: Challenges related to interprofessional collaboration were identified in four of the six domains of the Sunnybrook framework: role delineation, communication, interprofessional values and ethics, and shared decision-making. OHPs highlighted that current instruments primarily focus on assessing limitations rather than possibilities for RTW and emphasized the importance of incorporating environmental and personal factors into the WARD instrument. CONCLUSION: This study identified key challenges in interprofessional collaboration during sick leave and the RTW process and proposes solutions through refinements to the WARD instrument and multidisciplinary guideline. By shifting the focus of work ability assessments from functional limitations toward RTW possibilities, integrating employees' and employers' perspectives, and fostering shared RTW goals, these refinements have the potential to enhance collaboration and improve RTW outcomes.