New clinical practice guidelines, developed by Rehabilitation and Movement Science Professor Reuben Escorpizo with national collaborators, offer tools and guidance to clinicians who provide physical rehabilitation for people returning to work following injury or illness.

The authors will formally present the long-awaited, evidence-based publication at the American Physical Therapy Association conference in February 2022. Meanwhile, students in UVM's Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program are learning to use the new strategies under the guidance of Dr. Escorpizo, who has incorporated it into the curriculum.

“Clinical Guidance to Optimize Work Participation After Injury or Illness,” published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy in July, sets standards and provides direction for physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurse practitioners, medical doctors and other providers to achieve individualized, work-related goals. New tools include a decision tree, checklists, subjective status reports and objective measures for developing treatment plans that address job-specific work demands.

The document also guides employers, insurance payers, human resource professionals and workers' compensation claim reviewers to improve work productivity while managing financial impacts of restricted work, unemployment and work disability.

"Return-to-work is a multimillion-dollar industry and there is a lot of variability in the process, not necessarily backed by data," Escorpizo said. "Sometimes, ​this variability does not help the worker go back and it drags on for a long time. If the employer can't wait, the worker may lose their job."

In addition, "there are a lot of misperceptions around work rehabilitation, and a sense of mistrust that people are playing the system for financial gain," Escorpizo said. "As physical therapists, we find that people want to return to their work as quickly and safely as possible."

The new guidance creates a reference publication for clinicians, academic instructors, students, interns and residents, to inform best practices and decision-making regarding the best current practices related to returning to work.

“Our DPT students are trained to use practices based on scientific evidence and patient-worker preferences and values,” Escorpizo said. “Work is a major life area for most people. To be able to have work life positively impacted by physical therapy is part of our identity as physical therapists.”