9
3
The Experiment and Data
3.1
General set-up
In 2007, the SIA had a policy to screen individuals early in the sick spell in order to
identify those potentially in need of active rehabilitation. Based on the screening, two
groups of individuals were identified: the first group consisted of individuals with typically
vague diagnoses (e.g., musculoskeletal
and psychological disorders). These individuals
were potentially after some further analysis assigned to Sassam and AM. The second
group had less vague diagnoses (e.g., bone fractures, myocardial infarction, etc.) where
the doctor rather easily could judge the time until return to work without active
(vocational) measures. This experiment concerns the first group, that is, those in need of
further assessment.
The experiment stems from the group of individuals screened in the period between
5 November and 14 December 2007. At the time of the screening, the sick spells had
typically been ongoing for 2-5 weeks, but some variation exists.
11
Ninety-four percent of
the spells, however, were initiated in the period between 1 September and 30 November.
During this period, a total of 87,136 individuals started a sick spell. Among these, 23,013
initial screenings were performed between 5 November and 14 December. The remaining
64,123 sick spells were either terminated during the first two weeks or screened before or
after these dates. Of those screened, 13,547 were considered to be in need of further
assessment. These individuals represent the experiment population. The rest, almost
10,000 individuals, were hence considered in no need for assessment and potentially
early intervention. Based on the day of birth, the experiment population was (randomly)
divided into two groups. The treatment group (6,517 individuals) was further assessed
and given priority to Sassam when thought necessary. The control group (7,030) had to
wait for at least 45 days for the same treatment. We refer to these groups as the S-
treated and the S-controls.
11
Ninety percent of the spells had been ongoing for 1-10 weeks. The median number of weeks was 3
weeks and the average number of weeks was less than 4.
