Return-to-work programs following occupational hand injuries.

Return-to-work programs are no longer luxuries that only the major industries can afford to provide. Direct cost savings can be documented with the use of such programs, but just as important is the message that the company cares and looks out for the employee's best interest. The occupational medicine team's responsibility to the patient and the employer no longer ends with the provision of quality medical treatment. The ultimate goal is to return the patient to his or her job. Return-to-work programs successfully facilitate that process.