Background
The number of persons on sick-leave and disability pension is high in Europe. Assessing function must take both personal and environmental factors, in addition to health factors, into account. There is an increased focus on communication skills to ensure good return to work processes.
There is an increasing knowledge about factors that promote and inhibit return to work. Spreading information to all those working in this area is important. Researches and health personnel working in the occupational rehabilitation field need to discuss and explore existing knowledge, the need for clinically relevant research and experiences about bridging the gap between health and work.
Objectives
The course/workshop will provide a learning arena with the aim to:
1. update the participants' knowledge about the most recent scientific data, views and comprehensions of occupational rehabilitation and factors promoting return to work
2. share relevant experiences within the field
3. create possibilities to implement existing knowledge in practice
4. explore the need for further research
Target group
The workshop is aimed at researchers and health personnel working within the field of occupational rehabilitation and the return to work process. The workshop will also be relevant for administrators and health care planning professionals who are interested in bridging the gap between work and health. The number of participants will be limited to 50.
Course structure and working method
There will be five workshops with a combination of lectures, reflections and dialogue.
The participants are invited to share their own experiences in smaller groups and explore how to create possibilities for implementing new knowledge in practice. Possible new research areas relevant for the practice field will also be discussed.
Main topics
• the return to work process and the work place
• assessment of function and workability
• predictors for sick leave and return to work
• motivational and resource orientated communication
• changing health beliefs and behaviour and RTW
• consequences for practice
Call for abstracts
Participants are encouraged to send in an abstract on the above mentioned topics. Deadline for abstract is 1st June 2010. Please, indicate whether you want to present a poster or oral presentation, max 15 min.
Main lecturers
Professor Patrick Loisel, Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Canada
Eldri Steen,PhD, Psychologist, National Centre for Rehabilitation in Rheumatology, Norway
Pirjo Juvonen-Posti, MD, Rehabilitation Foundation, Finland
Thomas Lund, Senior research scientist, PhD, IRIS, Norway
Christian Ståhl, PhD, Linköping University, Sweden
Location, transport and accommodation
The workshop will be organized at Rauland Høgfjellshotel, Norway. The National Center for Occupational Rehabilitation is situated in Rauland. Rauland is a village in the mountain area in West-Telemark, Norway. The nature and surroundings are fantastic and the workshop is arranged at a time of the year when usually the mountain colors are at their best.
The organizers will reserve rooms for the participants at the course venue.
For more information about the hotel please visit the website:
http://www.rauland.no/english/index.php
We will organize bus from Oslo airport to Rauland in the morning of the 14th Sept. and return on the 17th in the early afternoon. The bus-ride takes approx. 4 hours.