[MA 2022 06] Information provision during long-term sick leave

Amsterdam UMC
Proposed by: Marije Hagendijk [m.e.hagendijk@amsterdamumc.nl]

Information provision during long-term sick leave

Do you know which rules apply when you can no longer work due to illness?

Do you know how to inform the Social Security Agency about your sick leave?

Do you know the role and responsibilities of an occupational physician or labor expert?


Patients often do not know the answer to these questions!


Place of the SRP Project Value@WORK is a multi-year research project, within the Amsterdam UMC, to identify and create value for people who experience work participation problems due to cardiovascular disease. To identify what is important to these clients and what can create value, in an earlier stage of our research we mapped the entire clients’ journey through work-focused healthcare using the Client experience journey mapping approach.

Introduction This journey map gave us insights in the involved stakeholders, moments of interaction, positive and negative experiences and the needs of these clients through work-focused healthcare. These insights in the experiences and needs facilitated the identification of bottlenecks and shortcomings in the healthcare delivery over the full cycle of care and pointed out opportunities for improvement. Tackling these opportunities of improvements in practice can improve the experienced value of the client within the work-focused healthcare system.

About the graduation project One of the identified opportunities for improvement within the work-focused healthcare journey is better information provision regarding the role and responsibilities of the stakeholders. Therefore, we would like to facilitate answering the following research question during this Project:

• ‘What are the patients’ needs regarding information provision when suffering sick-leave due to cardiovascular disease’.

• ‘How can we meet the patients’ needs regarding this information provision by developing an information provision tool’.

Expected results

• Detailed overview of the clients’ needs regarding information provision on the role of stakeholders involved in work-focused healthcare, and an optional information provision tool, obtained through a literature review and interviews with patients.

• Development of an information provision tool meeting the patients’ information needs (see point above). A tool can be online, interactive, etc, depending on the patients’ needs.

• Validation of the developed information provision tool, by patient testing.

What can we offer you?

• Challenging project which real impact for patients suffering work-related problems!

• Experience within the field of Public and Occupational healthcare.

• A diverse team and enthusiastic guidance (Involved parties: Amsterdam UMC, Radboud UMC, TU Delft, St. Antonius hospital).

• Possibility to write and publish your results in a scientific journal.

What do we expect from you?

• Student needs to be able to fluently speak and understand the Dutch language.

• Affinity with (Public and occupational) healthcare and/or information provision for patients.

• Being able to convert information from interviews with patients towards a design.


Time period: 7 months


Enthusiastic? Send your CV/ portfolio and a short motivation letter to Marije Hagendijk: m.e.hagendijk@amsterdamumc.nl!