Table 1 Characteristics of focus group participants

Participants

n = 22

n = 9

n = 12

n = 15

Participants

Age Average [Median/(Range)]

57 / (40–67) Years

55 / (45–65) Years

48 / (34–58) Years

53 / (22–63) Years

Age [Median / (Range)]

Sex: nbr. Female

n = 9

n = 5

n = 6

n = 8

Sex: nbr- fem.

Work experience as physician

27 / (13–40) Years

29 / (12–39) Years

13 / (6–30) Years

One: n = 4

Two: n = 1

Three: n = 1

Previous rehabilitation therapies

Work experience in specialization [Median/(Range)]

21 / (7–33) Years

20 / (1–32) Years

11 / (3–31) Years

Type of employment

Solo practice: n = 13

Group practice: n = 9

Employed at enterprise n = 1 Employed in occupational health service: n = 4

Freelance: n = 4

all employed at the rehabilitation clinics

21 days: n = 4

28 days: n = 3

35 days: n = 5

> 35 days: n = 3

Planned duration of rehabilitation (days)

Practice site

Urban: n = 2

Rural: n = 10

Mixed: n = 10

Urban: n = 5

Rural: n = 0

Mixed: n = 4

N.A.

Mental health n = 5

Musculoskeletal n = 5

Reason for rehabilitation

Practice size (patients per 3 months)

< 700: n = 2

700–1400: n = 14

> 1400: n = 5

Responsible for SME: n = 8

N.A.

Office work: n = 5

Industrial production: n = 3

Occupation

Rehabilitation applications [Median/(Range)]

35 / (5–50) per Year

N.A.

N.A.

Construction work: n = 1

Logistic sector: n = 1

Nursing care: n = 2

Pedagogue: n = 1

Cleaner: n = 1

Small or medium enterprises: n = 7

Type of employer

Business has OP: n = 8 Patient knows OP: n = 7

Relationship to OP (responses by patients)

Setting of data collection

Meeting room in University Hospital Tübingen or in our institute in Tübingen

Meeting room in our institute in Tübingen & Conference room in Stuttgart

Meeting room in rehabilitation clinics

Meeting room in rehabilitation clinics

Setting of data collection