Mental and psychosomatic illnesses are widespread in the population and often significantly impair the quality of life of the people affected as well as their participation in social and professional life. In view of the limited occupational participation, medical rehabilitation is of great importance. At the same time, due to numerous barriers, mentally ill people often do not reach psychosomatic rehabilitation in time and are not sufficiently prepared.

The German Pension Insurance (DRV) Oldenburg-Bremen is testing an innovative, complex intervention as part of the SEMPRE model project to facilitate access to rehabilitative services for mentally ill people with occupational participation disorders. The aim is to identify those affected by psychosocial problems at an early stage, provide them with comprehensive information, and then mediate them into suitable treatment options with minimal barriers. The core of the intervention is a closely cooperating network of relevant actors for identifying those affected, a two-day outpatient assessment (the rehabilitation compass) and ‘pilots’ acting as intermediaries at the interface. SEMPRE aims to ensure that people with mental illnesses make use of rehabilitation services at an earlier stage and that their occupational and social participation and life satisfaction are maintained or improved.

In order to verify the effect of the intervention, the Junior Research Group for Rehabilitation Science of the University of Oldenburg is conducting the scientific monitoring of the project. This includes a multi-phase pre-post study as well as a controlled longitudinal study in the cooperating rehabilitation facilities. Furthermore, for the formative evaluation of results, qualitative interviews with study participants and involved actors are conducted in addition to process documentation. The cooperating outpatient psychosomatic rehabilitation facilities are the Klinik am Stadthafen Oldenburg and AMEOS Psychosomatisches Reha Zentrum Bremen.

The model project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs as part of the federal program "Innovative Ways to Participate in Working Life - rehapro".