How can digital technology support a sustainable return to work?
Researchers will work together with healthcare providers and other societal stakeholders to investigate how digital tools can make returning to work after long-term sickness absence easier and more sustainable.
An interview with Alexandra Weilenmann and Aleksandre Asatiani from the Department of Applied Information Technology, who are involved in the new interdisciplinary research centre UGot ReWork.
What’s the main question UGot ReWork is trying to answer?
"The research center focuses on finding better and more sustainable ways for individuals to return to work after prolonged sickness absence due to musculoskeletal or mental health conditions. The center is working with key stakeholders from primary care and social insurance to co-create specific solutions to support this process. The ambition is to approach this issue comprehensively. The research center brings together leading researchers from across the disciplines from medicine to digitalization.
We at AIT are leading a work package that focuses on conditions that digital tools create to either support or hinder return to work. In this work package, we study how people on sick leave use digital information, apps, self-assessment tools and AI-based services as they navigate the trajectory back to work, and how these tools shape their understanding of their health, work ability, recovery and next steps. We will also examine how digital communication and coordination tools are used between the individual, employer, healthcare providers, occupational health services, and social insurance actors. Based on these insights, we will co-design and evaluate digital interventions that help individuals navigate their return-to-work trajectory, while also improving communication and coordination with employers, healthcare providers, occupational health services and social insurance actors."
Why do we need more research on returning to work today?
"Absence from work due to long-term sickness is a persistent issue. Musculoskeletal or mental health conditions are the leading causes for long-term sickness absence from work (60 days or more). Long-term absence complicates individuals’ return to work, risking relapses after initial return, which extends the absence further. There is research on various treatments to address the symptoms of underlying conditions, but these treatments have limited effect on improving individual experience returning to work sustainably.
We need a more systematic approach to this problem that goes beyond the medical treatment of the underlying conditions and takes the whole system into consideration that includes primary care, occupational health, workplace conditions, personal factors and of course digital technology that may impact return to work."
Who is most affected by these issues?
"Naturally, the individuals returning to work after health-related absences are most affected. But this is a broader societal issue. Long-term absences have an impact on healthcare and social insurance systems, and employers. It is in everyone’s interest to make sure that the workplace conditions facilitate reduction of sickness-related absences where possible, and when absences do occur, relevant systems support affected individuals to return to work in a sustainable manner."
What role could digital technology play in processes for returning to work?
"Digital technology plays an important role in this process on multiple levels. Mobile devices, social media, and recently artificial intelligence have had a profound impact on people's mental health, at home, and at work. While these technologies can be incredibly helpful, they can also lead to information overload and technostress. People are increasingly using online information and artificial intelligence for health consultations or psychotherapy. Such a use of technology can have a negative impact on recovery and counteract efforts of medical professionals.
At the same time, technologies could help create conditions to help individuals recover and reintegrate into work smoothly. However, we need more research on how to leverage these opportunities, while minimizing negative risks.
Digital technology also plays a role in providing infrastructure for healthcare providers, employers, and the Social Insurance Agency to handle sickness-related absences. Having well-designed systems that are oriented to supporting affected individuals and making the transition between absence and work is very important."
What are your next steps in the project?
"We are still early on our journey, so we have many exciting years ahead of us. Currently, we are working on exploring relevant research, setting up collaborations, and building the team. We have an ad out for a postdoc researcher position in human-computer interaction at the moment. Next year we will be recruiting a full-time PhD student to work with us on the project.
