How we understand sickness absence influences both the assessment of sick-listed individuals and the choice of interventions.
At OsloMet, the research group School and Work (Justin) has been established. The group examines sickness absence and school dropout as participation challenges, both independently of and in connection with health issues.
At the seminar, you will meet our international partners in the Now What 2 project, where we are testing a new program, the OBS program for individuals on sick leave.
They will share experiences from their respective countries, with emphasis on how a biopsychosocial understanding of occupational health, focusing on the individual on sick leave, the work, and the workplace, is transforming policy and practice across several nations.
The seminar is free of charge, but spaces are limited, so please register. You find the registration on the Norwegian page. It is also possible to participate digitally.
Program
Parts of the program will be in Norwegian.
- 08:30: Official opening of the research group School and Work (Justin) at the Faculty of Health Sciences by Tanja Storsul, Pro-Rector for Research and Development at OsloMet.
- 08:45: Examples from the Netherlands: Advice to the Dutch Government on reforming disability benefits and how to assess sick-listed employees based on international research by Professor Johannes Anema, Vrije University Medical Center.
- 09:05: Examples from Sweden: Is it fair – or just square? Is a biopsychosocial perspective compatible with a medically oriented social security system? by Jan Sandqvist, Linköping University.
- 09:25: Examples from Belgium: What is the future recipe for understanding and solving sickness absence? by Director Bart Teuwen, Mensura Group.
- 09:45: Break with refreshments.
- 10:15: Examples from the UK: The Fit for work note by Professor Avril Drummond, University of Nottingham.
- 10:35: Examples from Norway: How do we understand sickness absence – and thereby the sick-listed? Insights from 20 years of research on programs for the sick-listed and the Now What research project by Professor and Research Group Leader Randi Wågø Aas, OsloMet.
- 10:55: Panel discussion: Do we need a reform in how we understand sickness absence? Questions from the audience. For decades, a biopsychosocial framework has been used to uncover the complexity of the situation for sick-listed individuals. But are we still basing our assessments and interventions on a framework that is too narrow?
- Panel moderators: Lisebet S. Skarpaas and Mikkel M. Thørrisen.
- Panel participants: Elin Ekblad, Eva Geluk, Ellen Liedstrand, Tarjei Rysstad, Stig Evensen, and Kristin Jess-Bakken.
- 11:55: Closing and summary by Professor Monica Lillefjell, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and Researcher Jens Christopher Skogen, Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
