Return to work after rehabilitation. The significance of the patient's own prediction.

A prospective study of patients with chronic low-back pain was made to determine the significance of the patient's own prediction of the outcome of a vocational rehabilitation program. Fifty-two patients were screened, and their work situation determined one and 4 years after the rehabilitation program was started. The patients predicted the outcome correctly in 69%, with a sensitivity of 68% and a specificity of 71%. A statistically significant correlation was found between the patient's prediction and the recommendations given by the rehabilitation unit.