Current post-operative interventions are seemingly not effective to achieve return to work after Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) implantation for patients suffering from therapy-refractory persistent spinal pain syndrome type II (PSPS-T2). Despite evidence that SCS can improve RTW, only 9.5 to 14% of patients implanted with SCS are make a successful return to work. This is where the OPERA trial finds it's objective: to examine whether a personalised biopsychosocial rehabilitation programme specifically targeting RTW alters the work ability in PSPS-T2 patients after SCS implantation compared to usual care.
OPERA is a multicentre randomised controlled trial which combines knowledge and expertise in neurosurgery, pain medicine, rehabilitation, health services research and return to work. More details on the trial can be found at: https://stimulus.research.vub.be/en/opera
Within this project, researchers of I-CHER investigate the cost-effectiveness of the personalised biopsychosocial rehabilitation intervention, in addition to exploring societal and health economic effects.
This project is funded by FWO-TBM (Research Foundation Flanders -Applied Biomedical Research with a Primary Social finality).
Contact persons of the project: Jonas Callens