A winding road leading to a brightly lit office building, symbolizing the journey back to work.

Daily Life Note (LN): A Comprehensive Guide for Return-to-Work Success

Beau Callahan in Health & Wellness December 2025 • 4 min read.

"Unlock the Potential of Daily Life Notes: How Occupational Physicians Can Improve Return-to-Work Outcomes"

Returning to work after a sick leave due to mental health issues can be a difficult transition. Many individuals face the risk of relapse and recurrent leave, making the return-to-work (RTW) process critical. In fact, studies show that a significant percentage of workers experience repeated sick leave within a few years of their initial return. This highlights the need for effective strategies to support a sustainable return to the workplace.

To address this challenge, governments and organizations have developed guidelines for workplaces and occupational physicians (OPs). These guidelines emphasize the importance of assessing a worker's readiness to return, considering both their symptoms and the workplace environment. Collaboration between OPs and psychiatrists is also recognized as a key factor in successful RTW outcomes. However, challenges such as limited collaboration between healthcare providers and a lack of standardized assessment methods can hinder the process.

One promising tool that can help OPs in their assessment is the self-reported daily life note (LN). An LN is a structured record that allows workers to document their daily activities and routines. By tracking factors such as sleep patterns, exercise habits, and mood, the LN provides valuable insights into a worker's overall well-being and their ability to cope with the demands of work. This article delves into how OPs are using LNs to enhance their RTW assessments, improve outcomes, and support workers in their journey back to the workplace.

What is the Daily Life Note (LN) and How is it Used?

A winding road leading to a brightly lit office building, symbolizing the journey back to work.

The Daily Life Note (LN) is a simple yet powerful tool designed to capture a worker's daily life during sick leave. It is a written table that prompts individuals to record their activities and experiences over the course of a week. This includes details like wake-up and bedtime, meals, exercise, social interactions, and any challenges they face.

By using an LN, workers gain a better understanding of their own routines and potential areas for improvement. It also provides OPs with valuable information to assess a worker's readiness to return to work. Some common elements extracted from LN formats include:

Descriptions of medication intake
Statements on mood and symptoms
Detailed accounts of daily activities
Sleep patterns and disturbances

Occupational physicians use LNs in various ways. Some ask workers to complete the LN to inform judgments about their progress, while others use it in conjunction with assessments from psychiatrists or other healthcare professionals. The information gathered from the LN helps OPs assess work ability, identify potential risk factors, and develop tailored RTW plans. Studies have shown that incorporating LNs into RTW programs can significantly improve outcomes, such as relapse-free job retention rates.

The Future of LN in Occupational Health

The use of Daily Life Notes in occupational health is a promising area for future research and application. As more OPs recognize the value of LNs in RTW assessments, it is essential to develop standardized guidelines and training programs to ensure consistent and effective implementation. By incorporating LNs into comprehensive RTW strategies, we can better support workers on sick leave due to mental health conditions and improve their chances of a successful and sustainable return to the workplace.

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Everything You Need To Know

What exactly is a Daily Life Note (LN), and what kind of information does it typically contain?

A Daily Life Note (LN) is a structured self-reported record used to document a worker's daily activities and routines during sick leave. It's essentially a written table where individuals record details like wake-up and bedtime, meals, exercise, social interactions, mood, symptoms, and any challenges they face. The LN often includes descriptions of medication intake and detailed accounts of daily activities, providing insights into a worker's overall well-being and their ability to cope with the demands of work. This helps both the worker and occupational physicians understand their daily life and identify potential areas for improvement.

How do occupational physicians (OPs) use the Daily Life Note (LN) in the return-to-work (RTW) process after mental health leave?

Occupational physicians utilize the Daily Life Note (LN) in several ways to assess a worker's readiness to return to work. Some OPs ask workers to complete the LN to inform their judgements about the worker's progress. Some use it in conjunction with assessments from psychiatrists or other healthcare professionals. The information gathered from the LN helps OPs assess work ability, identify potential risk factors (such as sleep disturbances or mood fluctuations), and develop tailored return-to-work plans. This informed approach can lead to improved outcomes, like relapse-free job retention.

What are some of the benefits of using Daily Life Notes (LNs) for workers returning to work after mental health leave, and how do they contribute to better return-to-work outcomes?

Daily Life Notes (LNs) offer several benefits for workers returning to work. For workers, LNs promote self-awareness by helping them track their daily routines, identify potential triggers for their mental health conditions, and understand their coping mechanisms. For Occupational Physicians, LNs provide objective data to assess a worker's readiness to return, tailor RTW plans, and monitor progress. By tracking factors like sleep patterns, mood, and social interaction, LNs enable a more comprehensive and personalized approach to RTW, leading to improved outcomes such as relapse-free job retention rates. Furthermore, the use of LNs can foster better communication between workers and healthcare providers.

What challenges exist in the return-to-work (RTW) process after mental health leave, and how can the use of Daily Life Notes (LNs) help address these challenges?

Several challenges can hinder a successful return-to-work (RTW) process, including limited collaboration between healthcare providers, a lack of standardized assessment methods, and the difficulty in accurately assessing a worker's readiness to return. Daily Life Notes (LNs) can help address these challenges by providing a standardized and structured method for workers to self-report their daily activities and experiences. This information can facilitate collaboration between occupational physicians (OPs) and psychiatrists, as it offers a common data point for discussion and decision-making. By incorporating LNs into RTW programs, OPs can gain a more comprehensive understanding of a worker's overall well-being and develop tailored RTW plans that address individual needs and risk factors.

What is the future of Daily Life Notes (LNs) in occupational health, and what steps need to be taken to ensure their effective implementation in return-to-work (RTW) programs?

The future of Daily Life Notes (LNs) in occupational health is promising, as more occupational physicians (OPs) recognize their value in return-to-work (RTW) assessments. To ensure their effective implementation, several steps are crucial. Standardized guidelines and training programs should be developed to promote consistent and effective use of LNs across different settings. Research is needed to further validate the effectiveness of LNs in improving RTW outcomes and to identify best practices for their integration into comprehensive RTW strategies. By addressing these needs, we can better support workers on sick leave due to mental health conditions and improve their chances of a successful and sustainable return to the workplace. Further research could also explore the use of technology to enhance the LN process, such as mobile apps or wearable sensors to automatically track relevant data.