A new tool for healthcare providers in supporting patients in work and income

Many healthcare providers deal with patients who have questions about work and income. In practice, however, it is difficult to give the patient specific and appropriate advice. Therefore, CAPHRI PhD candidate Maarten Butink and Prof. Dr. Angelique de Rijk (Professor of Work and Health) have developed a new tool with ten hospitals and organisations, called (in Dutch) the 'Werk en Wijzer voor zorgverleners'.

On May 5th, the tool was presented to Prof. Dr. Annelies Boonen, Professor of Rheumatology at Maastricht UMC+ and a pioneer in the field of work-related support in hospitals.

The ‘Werk en Wijzer voor zorgverleners’ is a practical tool that allows healthcare providers with a few simple questions (for example: does your patient work in paid employment? Does your patient have a partial disability benefit?) to quickly identify appropriate referrals to experts (for example, the occupational physician, UWV, municipality, Chamber of Commerce, study advisor). It also contains simple advices that healthcare providers can give to their patients.

The 'Werk en Wijzer' (in Dutch) can be downloaded via this link.
A printed version can be requested via Maarten Butink (m.butink@maastrichtuniversity.nl).