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Intervention & Rehabilitation
The main goal is to prevent disabilities in hearing and communication by rehabilitation programs and interventions. New methods are being developed with emphasis ranging from audiological issues to psychosocial issues. Also the department participates in projects aimed at the implementation of new interventions and takes part in the evaluation of both suitability and efficiency of audiological care.
Current project(s)
1. Vocational rehabilitation for employees with hearing impairment: a cost-effectiveness study.
| Project leaders: | J.M. Festen, PhD / S.E. Kramer, PhD |
| Researcher: | A.H.M. Gussenhoven |
| Period: | 1-10-2010 – present |
Background
Hearing impairment is one of the most prevalent chronic disabilities. In the Netherlands about 1.5 million people suffer from auditory difficulties. Hearing impairment has significant negative effects on work performance and is associated with high levels of need for recovery after work, sick leave and early retirement. These consequences are related to high costs for the individuals, companies and society. Common problems in the workplace are lack of control, mental distress, fatigue, concerns about job safety, environmental noise and lack of knowledge. Recently, the Vocational Enablement Protocol (VEP) has been developed to manage the specific difficulties of employees with hearing loss. The VEP is a transmural multidisciplinary care protocol aimed at maintaining, facilitating, or improving the employment situation for people with hearing loss. An economic evaluation is relevant to help policy makers decide whether investing in this intervention is worthwhile.
Objectives
The first aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the VEP program on the primary and secondary outcomes: Need for Recovery after work (NFR), sick leave, Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired (CPHI), work productivity, self-efficacy, job content and general health status.
The second aim is to determine whether the VEP program is cost-effective for reducing Need for Recovery after work (NFR) compared with usual care.
The purpose of this study includes a description of the study protocol (design article) as well as a process evaluation.
Methods
In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), a total of 160 employees are expected to participate in the study at baseline. Employees will be assigned to either the intervention group (N=80) or the control group (N=80) according to a pre-stratified and randomized procedure. Participants in the control group will receive care as usual (through the Occupational Physician (OP) with or without referral) and participants in the intervention group will receive the VEP.
Outcome measures will be assessed using questionnaires at baseline, and after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. The cost-effectiveness analysis will cover both the societal and company perspective. KLM, Corus and VU university have confirmed their participation in this study.
Results
Since this study is in the preparatory phase, results are not yet available. Data collection will start in Summer 2011.