Implementing Indicators and Trajectories of Return to Work After Breast Cancer Diagnosis: A Mixed-Methods Study Using the French National Healthcare Insurance Database and Stakeholder Consultation.

PURPOSE: Return to work (RTW) is important for quality of life after breast cancer but its analysis at the population-level remains limited in France. This study aimed to implement Electronic Healthcare Data (EHD)-based indicators and trajectories to measure RTW after breast cancer diagnosis, and to examine stakeholders' perspectives regarding these indicators. METHODS: We followed a mixed-methods approach that consisted of (i) implementing RTW indicators and identifying clusters of trajectories using state sequence analysis with data from a representative sample of the French National Health Data System and (ii) exploring, through qualitative focus group and interviews, stakeholders' perceptions on the interpretation, limitations, and utility of these indicators. RESULTS: We extracted data from 317 women aged 25-55 years with a first diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer. The median number of sickness absence periods was 2 for a total of 434 days during the 3-year follow-up, and the median time to sustainable RTW was 240 days. Three clusters of RTW trajectories were identified: "early RTW" (49.5% of the population), "RTW after partial resumption" (37.5%) and "continuous compensation" (12.9%). Feedback from stakeholders highlighted the multi-factorial nature of RTW and underscored the added value of EHD for studying RTW, despite certain limitations. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the feasibility of calculating RTW indicators and identifying trajectories using the French National Health Data System. These indicators can serve as outcome measures in RTW promotion and provide a basis for designing targeted interventions for breast cancer survivors.

Outcome of the Compensation Process Initiated by an Occupational and Environmental Diseases Center.

BACKGROUND: Regional Centers for Occupational and Environmental Pathologies (CRPPE) are responsible for identifying possible occupational etiologies of pathologies. When an occupational origin is determined, an Initial Medical Certificate (IMC) is given to the patient to allow him to initiate a procedure for recognition as an occupational disease (OD) by his health insurance organization. OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this study was to investigate the outcome of occupational disease claims in patients who received an IMC delivered by the CRPPE of Lyon. METHODS: A telephone interview was systematically conducted with patients who consulted the CRPPE for a claim for occupational disease recognition between 07/2020 and 06/2021, about six months after the consultation. It was conducted by a physician using a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: Out of 128 patients eligible for this study, 98 were included. Diseases of the respiratory system (34.7%) and cancers (28.6%) were the most common pathologies in our population. A process of OD compensation was initiated by 86 patients (87.8%). At the time of the study, the outcome was favorable for 63 patients (73.3%). Moreover, 18 patients (18.4%) wished for additional help from the CRPPE to carry out the procedures. Nine patients requested a new consultation, including five who still needed to complete the process. CONCLUSION: This study shows the benefit of a consultation by occupational disease consultants. However, difficulties still need to be solved in these procedures. Thus, the systematic follow-up of patients shows its advantages. The provision of support to carry out the process seems necessary.

Underreporting of occupational blood and body fluid exposure in French university hospitals in 2017.

BACKGROUND: Occupational blood and body fluid exposures (OBBFEs) are one of the biological risks run by health professionals, especially in hospitals. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to assess the occurrence and reporting of occupational blood and body fluid exposures (OBBFEs) in university hospital medical staff and to investigate factors associated to declared OBBFE and factors associated to reported OBBFE. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire has been e-mailed to all junior and senior medical staff in four university hospital centers in one administrative region of France in 2017. RESULTS: 292 of the 1,228 respondents declared at least one OBBFE. More than two-thirds (70.2%) were under-reporters and more than half (53.8%) non-reporters. Younger subjects, surgical specialties and other associated work accidents were risk factors for OBBFE. Considering the reporting procedure too complex was a risk factor for underreporting. CONCLUSIONS: Underreporting by hospital medical staff was a persistent phenomenon, with a high rate. The OBBFE reporting procedure needs rethinking.

[French translation and adaptation of the "Return to Work Self-Efficacy' Scale - 11 items" in patients diagnosed with a cancer]. / Traduction et adaptation française du « Return to Work Self-Efficacy' scale ­ 11 items ¼ chez des patients diagnostiqués d'un cancer.

INTRODUCTION: The self-efficacy to return to work is a major psychological factor of the return to work of patients diagnosed with a cancer. However, french investigations in this field do not take this dimension into account due to the lack of a suitable tool for its assessment. The objective of this study was to provide a french translation and adaptation of the "Return to Work Self-Efficacy' scale - 11 items" (RTWSE-11), validated in dutch language in its original version. METHODS: After translation-back translation steps, completed by experts' consensus meetings, interviews were conducted with thirteen patients diagnosed with cancer in order to evaluate the degree of clarity, simplicity and ambiguity or the various elements of the french version of the RTW-SE-11. RESULTS: The main modifications inherent to the french adaptation of the questionnaire concerned the modalities of the Likert scale and the inversion of three negative items into positive items. DISCUSSION: The french translation and adaptation of the RTWSE-11 was particularly faithful to the semantic, idiomatic, functional, experiential, conceptual and operational aspects of the original version. Future work can therefore focus on the psychometrics evaluations of the questionnaire. However, this tool can already be used in clinical practice to establish an initial assessment of the ability of patients diagnosed with cancer to return to work.

Connected device and therapeutic patient education to promote physical activity among women with localised breast cancer (DISCO trial): protocol for a multicentre 2×2 factorial randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Despite safety and benefits of physical activity during treatment of localised breast cancer, successful exercise strategies remain to be determined. The primary objective of the 'dispositif connecté', that is, connected device in English trial is to evaluate the efficacy of two 6-month exercise interventions, either single or combined, concomitant to adjuvant treatments, on the physical activity level of patients with breast cancer, compared with usual care: an exercise programme using a connected device (activity tracker, smartphone application, website) and a therapeutic patient education intervention. Secondary objectives are to evaluate adherence to interventions, their impact at 6 and 12 months, representations and acceptability of interventions, and to assess the cost-effectiveness of the interventions using quality-adjusted life-years. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a 2×2 factorial, multicentre, phase III randomised controlled trial. The study population (with written informed consent) will consist of 432 women diagnosed with primary localised invasive breast carcinoma and eligible for adjuvant chemotherapy, hormonotherapy and/or radiotherapy. They will be randomly allocated between one of four arms: (1) web-based connected device (evolving target number of daily steps and an individualised, semisupervised, adaptive programme of two walking and one muscle strengthening sessions per week in autonomy), (2) therapeutic patient education (one educational diagnosis, two collective educational sessions, one evaluation), (3) combination of both interventions and (4) control. All participants will receive the international physical activity recommendations. Assessments (baseline, 6 and 12 months) will include physical fitness tests, anthropometrics measures, body composition (CT scan, bioelectrical impedance), self-administered questionnaires (physical activity profile (Recent Physical Activity Questionnaire), quality of life (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality-Of-Life Questionnaire-30, EQ-5D-5L), fatigue (Piper Fatigue Scale-12), social deprivation (Evaluation of Deprivation and Inequalities in Health Examination Centres), lifestyle, physical activity barriers, occupational status) and biological parameters (blood draw). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was reviewed and approved by the French Ethics Committee. The findings will be disseminated to the scientific and medical community via publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference presentations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03529383; Pre-results.

Development and Validation of a Predictive Model of Hypovitaminosis D in General Adult Population: SCOPYD Study.

The worldwide global increase in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) measurements has led some countries to restrict reimbursement for certain clinical situations only. Another approach could consist in providing physicians with screening tools in order to better target blood test prescription. The objective of the SCOPYD study was to identify the best combination of predictors of serum VitD concentration among adults aged 18-70 years. Potential risk factors for VitD deficiency were collected using a comprehensive self-administered questionnaire. A multivariable linear regression was used to build a predictive model of serum 25(OH)D concentration. Among 2488 participants, 1080 (43.4%) had VitD deficiency (<50 nmol/L) and 195 (7.8%) had severe deficiency (<25 nmol/L). The final model included sunlight exposure in the preceding week and during the last holidays, month of blood sampling, age, sex, body mass index, skin phototype, employment, smoking, sport practice, latitude, and VitD supplementation in preceding year. The area under the curve was 0.82 (95% CI (0.78; 0.85)) for severe deficiency. The model predicted severe deficiency with a sensitivity of 77.9% (95% CI (69.1; 85.7)) and a specificity of 68.3% (95% CI (64.8; 71.9)). We identified a set of predictors of severe VitD deficiency that are easy to collect in routine that may help to better target patients for serum 25(OH)D concentration determination.

Tobacco use and related behaviors among staff and students in a university hospital: A large cross-sectional survey.

INTRODUCTION: Smoking prevalence in the overall population in France was 27% in 2017. There are few data about smoking prevalence in hospital workers. The aim of this study was to assess prevalence of current smoking in student and staff populations at Lyon University Hospital. Secondary objectives were to identify main variables associated with current smoking and willingness to quit. METHODS: We designed a single center, cross-sectional survey, using printed questionnaires. During one day, all registered staff and students were surveyed. We used optical reading to extract information from questionnaires. We performed univariate and multivariate analysis adjusted on most relevant factors. RESULTS: We analyzed 9712 questionnaires. The participating rates were high: 40.6% in the student cohort and 51.5% in the staff cohort. The proportion of current cigarette users was 26% in students and 25% in staff. In multivariate analysis, current smoking was significantly associated with: younger age, male sex, occupation type (e.g. logistical staff, and paramedical students), overnight work, and e-cigarette use. Among smokers, 53% reported a willingness to quit. In multivariate analysis, number of quit attempts, and feeling symptoms from tobacco were associated with willingness to quit. CONCLUSIONS: Current smoking is less frequent in our cohorts of hospital staff and students than in the general French population. However, there are deep disparities in current smoking prevalence underlining a heterogeneous population. Among smokers, the majority reported a willingness to quit and some predictive factors may help to target this audience.

Assessment of serological techniques for screening patients for COVID-19 (COVID-SER): a prospective, multicentric study.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 threatens global public health, and there is an urgent public health need to assess acquired immunity to SARS-CoV-2. Serological tests might provide results that can be complementary to or confirm suspected COVID-19 cases and reveal previous infection. The performance of serological assays (sensitivity and specificity) has to be evaluated before their use in the general population. The neutralisation capacity of the produced antibodies also has to be evaluated. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We set up a prospective, multicentric clinical study to evaluate the performance of serological kits among a population of healthcare workers presenting mild symptoms suggestive of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Four hundred symptomatic healthcare workers will be included in the COVID-SER study. The values obtained from a control cohort included during the prepandemic time will be used as reference. A workflow was set up to study serological response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and to evaluate antibody neutralisation capacity in patients with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The sensitivity and specificity of the tests will be assessed using molecular detection of the virus as a reference. The measurement of IgM and IgG antibodies will be performed once per week for 6 consecutive weeks and then at 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months after the diagnosis. The kinetics of IgM and IgG will determine the optimal period to perform serological testing. The proportion of false negative PCR tests in symptomatic subjects will be determined on the basis of subsequent seroconversions. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been obtained from the national review board for biomedical research in April 2020 (Comité de Protection des Personnes Sud Méditerranée I, Marseille, France) (ID RCB 2020-A00932-37). Results will be disseminated through presentations at scientific meetings and publications in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04341142.

Breast cancer specialists' perspective on their role in their patients' return to work: A qualitative study.

Objectives This study aimed to explore the views of breast cancer (BC) specialists as to their role in the return-to-work (RTW) process of their BC patients. Methods A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted in a sample of 20 BC specialists selected according to age, gender, medical specialty (medical oncology, radiation oncology, gynecological surgery), and healthcare organization (regional cancer center, university or private hospital). All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed for qualitative thematic content analysis. Results BC specialists had heterogeneous representations and practices regarding their role in their patients` RTW process, ranging from non-involvement to frequent discussion. Most BC specialists had concerns regarding the "right time and right way" to address patient`s RTW. They hardly mentioned workplace and job factors as potential barriers but rather stressed motivation. The main reported barriers to involvement in the RTW process were lack of time, lack of knowledge, lack of skills, and a professional attitude exclusively focused on cancer care issues. Conclusion While our study showed varying representations and practices among BC specialists, participants consistently identified barriers in supporting BC survivors` RTW. The results will guide the development of an intervention to facilitate the role of BC specialists in the RTW process as part of a multicomponent intervention to facilitate BC survivors` RTW.

[Return to work for cancer patients]. / Maintien en emploi des patients atteints de cancer.

Return to work is a public health priority which led the French Health Authority to publish recommendations about "return to work and health: prevention of exclusion from work". The aim of this article is to present a literature review of return to work after cancer. Studies about medium-term and long-term effects of cancer are sparse. They suggest worker durable effects. Factors associated with return to work are linked to the patient characteristics, to characteristics of the illness and the treatment, to the workplace and to the help provided to the patient during the return to work process. A specific plan for returning to work in 3 phases (situation comprehension, identification of negative and positive factors for returning to work, implementation of measures concerning the patient, the workplace and the coordination between return to work actors) should be built for each patient, involving the worker, the occupational practitioner, the general and specialist practitioners.

Impact of a comprehensive prevention programme aimed at reducing incivility and verbal violence against healthcare workers in a French ophthalmic emergency department: an interrupted time-series study.

OBJECTIVE AND SETTING: Primary prevention, comprising patient-oriented and environmental interventions, is considered to be one of the best ways to reduce violence in the emergency department (ED). We assessed the impact of a comprehensive prevention programme aimed at preventing incivility and verbal violence against healthcare professionals working in the ophthalmology ED (OED) of a university hospital. INTERVENTION: The programme was designed to address long waiting times and lack of information. It combined a computerised triage algorithm linked to a waiting room patient call system, signage to assist patients to navigate in the OED, educational messages broadcast in the waiting room, presence of a mediator and video surveillance. PARTICIPANTS: All patients admitted to the OED and those accompanying them. DESIGN: Single-centre prospective interrupted time-series study conducted over 18 months. PRIMARY OUTCOME: Violent acts self-reported by healthcare workers committed by patients or those accompanying them against healthcare workers. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: Waiting time and length of stay. RESULTS: There were a total of 22 107 admissions, including 272 (1.4%) with at least one act of violence reported by the healthcare workers. Almost all acts of violence were incivility or verbal harassment. The rate of violence significantly decreased from the pre-intervention to the intervention period (24.8, 95% CI 20.0 to 29.5, to 9.5, 95% CI 8.0 to 10.9, acts per 1000 admissions, p<0.001). An immediate 53% decrease in the violence rate (incidence rate ratio=0.47, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.82, p=0.0121) was observed in the first month of the intervention period, after implementation of the triage algorithm. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive prevention programme targeting patients and environment can reduce self-reported incivility and verbal violence against healthcare workers in an OED. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02015884.

Developing a Return to Work Intervention for Breast Cancer Survivors with the Intervention Mapping Protocol: Challenges and Opportunities of the Needs Assessment.

Return to work (RTW) is an important step for breast cancer survivors (BCSs). However, they face many barriers that affect particularly women with low socioeconomic status (SES). Health care, workplace, and insurance actors lack knowledge and collaborate poorly. No intervention to date has proven effective to reduce social disparities in employment after breast cancer. The intervention mapping (IM) protocol is being used in France to develop, implement, and evaluate an intervention to facilitate and sustain RTW after breast cancer [FAciliter et Soutenir le retour au TRAvail après un Cancer du Sein (FASTRACS) project]. The research question of this study was to elicit the needs for RTW after breast cancer from various stakeholders' point of view. The aim of this study was to describe the process and the preliminary results of the needs assessment of the FASTRACS project. Different methods were followed to (a) establish and work with a planning group and (b) conduct a needs assessment to create a logic model of the problem. A planning group was organized to gather the stakeholders with the research team. A review of the literature and indicators was conducted to identify the magnitude of the problem and the factors influencing RTW. A qualitative inquiry was conducted with 12 focus groups and 48 individual semi-structured interviews to explore the needs and experience of the stakeholders. The results of these tasks were the proposition of a charter of partnership to structure the participative process, a review of the scientific evidence and indicators, and the description by the stakeholders of their needs and experience. Many stakeholders disagreed with the concept of "early intervention." They advocated for a better support of BCSs during their RTW, emphasized as a process. Anticipation, intersectoral collaboration, and workplace accommodation were mentioned to fit the needs of the BCS and their environment. A logic model of the problem was elaborated from these data. The ability of the model to consider specific characteristics of women with low SES is discussed, with a view to developing the FASTRACS intervention through the next steps of the IM protocol.

Interventions developed with the Intervention Mapping protocol in the field of cancer: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The Intervention Mapping (IM) protocol provides a structured framework to develop, implement, and evaluate complex interventions. The main objective of this review was to identify and describe the content of the interventions developed in the field of cancer with the IM protocol. Secondary objectives were to assess their fidelity to the IM protocol and to review their theoretical frameworks. METHODS: Medline, Web of Science, PsycINFO, PASCAL, FRANCIS, and BDSP databases were searched. All titles and abstracts were reviewed. A standardized extraction form was developed. All included studies were reviewed by 2 reviewers blinded to each other. RESULTS: Sixteen studies were identified, and these reported 15 interventions. The objectives were to increase cancer screening participation (n = 7), early consultation (n = 1), and aftercare/quality of life among cancer survivors (n = 7). Six reported a complete participatory planning group, and 7 described a complete logic model of the problem. Ten studies described a complete logic model of change. The main theoretical frameworks used were the theory of planned behaviour (n = 8), the transtheoretical model (n = 6), the health belief model (n = 6), and the social cognitive theory (n = 6). The environment was rarely integrated in the interventions (n = 4). Five interventions were reported as effective. CONCLUSIONS: Culturally relevant interventions were developed with the IM protocol that were effective to increase cancer screening and reduce social disparities, particularly when they were developed through a participative approach and integrated the environment. Stakeholders' involvement and the role of the environment were heterogeneously integrated in the interventions.

Impacts of users' antisocial behaviors in an ophthalmologic emergency department--a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Health-care workers in emergency departments are frequently exposed to risk of antisocial behavior and violence (ABV) by users. Underreporting of ABV by health-care professionals has been identified. In order to understand this phenomenon, we explored the experience of ABV in 30 health workers in an ophthalmology emergency department in the Rhône-Alpes administrative region of France. METHODS: A grounded theory qualitative approach was followed. Data were collected from field observations, 30 semistructured individual interviews, violence report forms, and 364 patient satisfaction questionnaires. Qualitative thematic content analysis of the interviews was performed with qualitative data analysis software. RESULTS: Third-party antisocial behaviors and violence were an everyday occurrence, with varying levels of seriousness: impoliteness, vulgarity, nonrecognition, insults, verbal threats, and aggressive gestures. Health-care workers adopted various strategies to adapt to such violence: proactive and reactive attitudes and avoidance. Several organizational factors concerning the political and economic context, hospital work organization, and health workers' behavior were identified as potentially contributing to ABV. Excessive waiting times, lack of user information, and understaffing emerged as factors contributing to users' ABV. CONCLUSIONS: Antisocial behaviors by hospital users are underreported by professionals and under-recognized. They appear to be like continuous occupational exposure leading to delayed adverse consequences either on workers' health or motivation. However, violence in hospitals is not the result of only the action of users, and it may be related to work organization and workers' own behaviors. Only a grounded analysis of the causes of violence in the local work context can uncover relevant solutions.

Results of a feasibility study: barriers and facilitators in implementing the Sherbrooke model in France.

OBJECTIVES: Return-to-work interventions associated with the workplace environment are often more effective than conventional care. The Sherbrooke model is an integrated intervention that has proved successful in preventing work disability due to low-back pain. Implementation, however, runs up against many obstacles, and failure has been reported in many countries. The present study sought to identify barriers to and facilitators of the implementation of the Sherbrooke model within the French health system. METHODS: A multiple case study with nested levels of analysis was performed in two regions of France. A conceptual framework was designed and refined to identify barriers and facilitators at the individual, organizational and contextual levels. Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interview (N=22), focus groups (N=7), and observation and from the gray literature. Participants (N=61) belonged to three fields: healthcare, social insurance, and the workplace. RESULTS: Numerous barriers and facilitators were identified in each field and at each level, some specific and others common to workers in all fields. Individual and organizational barriers comprised lack of time and resources, discordant professional values, and perceived risk. Legal barriers comprised medical confidentiality, legal complexity, and priority given to primary prevention. Individual-level facilitators comprised needs and perceived benefits. Some organizations had concordant values and practices. Legal facilitators comprised possibilities of collaboration and gradual return to work. CONCLUSION: The present feasibility analysis of implementing the Sherbrooke model revealed numerous barriers and facilitators suggesting a new implementation strategy be drawn up if failure is to be avoided.

Impact of a program to prevent incivility towards and assault of healthcare staff in an ophtalmological emergency unit: study protocol for the PREVURGO On/Off trial.

BACKGROUND: The emergency department has been identified as an area within the health care sector with the highest reports of violence. The best way to control violence is to prevent it before it becomes an issue. Ideally, to prevent violent episodes we should eliminate all triggers of frustration and violence. Our study aims to assess the impact of a quality improvement multi-faceted program aiming at preventing incivility and violence against healthcare professionals working at the ophthalmological emergency department of a teaching hospital. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a single-center prospective, controlled time-series study with an alternate-month design. The prevention program is based on the successive implementation of five complementary interventions: a) an organizational approach with a standardized triage algorithm and patient waiting number screen, b) an environmental approach with clear signage of the premises, c) an educational approach with informational videos for patients and accompanying persons in waiting rooms, d) a human approach with a mediator in waiting rooms and e) a security approach with surveillance cameras linked to the hospital security. The primary outcome is the rate of incivility or violence by patients, or those accompanying them against healthcare staff. All patients admitted to the ophthalmological emergency department, and those accompanying them, will be enrolled. In all, 45,260 patients will be included in over a 24-month period. The unit analysis will be the patient admitted to the emergency department. Data analysis will be blinded to allocation, but due to the nature of the intervention, physicians and patients will not be blinded. DISCUSSION: The strengths of this study include the active solicitation of event reporting, that this is a prospective study and that the study enables assessment of each of the interventions that make up the program. The challenge lies in identifying effective interventions, adapting them to the context of care in an emergency department, and thoroughly assessing their efficacy with a high level of proof.The study has been registered as a cRCT at clinicaltrials.gov (identifier: NCT02015884).

Pre-employment examinations for preventing occupational injury and disease in workers.

BACKGROUND: Many employers and other stakeholders believe that health examinations of job applicants prevent occupational diseases and sickness absence. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of pre-employment examinations of job applicants in preventing occupational injury, disease and sickness absence compared to no intervention or alternative interventions. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and PEDro (to December 2009) not restricted by date, language or publication type. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), controlled before-after studies (CBA), and interrupted time-series (ITS) of health examinations to prevent occupational diseases and injuries in job applicants. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Four review authors (NM, ML, JV, ES) independently selected studies, extracted data, and determined study quality. The studies were too heterogeneous for statistical pooling of results. MAIN RESULTS: We included two RCTs, five CBA studies and two ITS. Seven studies with 5872 participants evaluated the screening process of pre-employment examinations and two studies with 2164 participants evaluated the measures to mitigate the risks found following the screening process.Of those studies that evaluated the screening process, one study found that a general examination did not reduce sick leave (Mean Difference -0.1 95% CI -0.5 to 0.3) but another study found that a more task focused examination did (MD -36 95% CI -68.3 to -3.8). One study found that incorporation of a bronchial challenge test decreased occupational asthma (trend change -2.6 95% CI -3.6 to -1.5). Three studies that included functional capacity evaluation found contradictory effects on injury rates and number of medical visits. The rates of rejecting job applicants varied from 2% to 35%.Neither of the two studies that evaluated risk mitigation found an increased injury rate after training or work accommodations had been implemented.We rated the evidence for all outcomes as very low quality. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is very low quality evidence that pre-employment examinations that are specific to certain jobs or health problems could reduce occupational disease, injury, or sickness absence. This supports the current policy to restrict pre-employment examinations to job-specific examinations. More studies are needed that take into account the harms of rejecting job applicants.