Opportunities and barriers for successful return to work after acquired brain injury: A patient perspective.
Marie Matérne, Lars-Olov Lundqvist, Thomas Strandberg
PMID 28035941WHAT IT FOUND
Ten people with acquired brain injury who had returned to work described individually adapted rehabilitation, balanced motivation, and understanding of cognitive and social needs as important.
Barriers included fatigue, memory problems, low self-esteem, and unhelpful workplace attitudes.
Key findings
01Nine participants said informing the workplace about the disability helped increase positive attitudes from colleagues and management and allowed task modification.
02Five participants described setbacks during vocational rehabilitation, and one became depressed and reduced working hours.
03All participants described cognitive impairments, including memory problems and learning difficulties, as barriers to work and sources of dependence on others.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample included only 10 participants, all of whom had successfully returned to work, so it does not represent people who did not return. Participants had mild or moderate acquired brain injury and excluded severe injury, drug or alcohol abuse, and other illnesses, so findings may not apply to more complex cases. The study was conducted in Sweden with Swedish social insurance and employment services, so the system context may differ elsewhere. Interviews were retrospective and some participants had memory problems, which could affect recall. The study reports themes from interviews, not measured effects of any vocational rehabilitation method.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest. No funding statement is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as evidence that any vocational rehabilitation method causes successful return to work. The study interviewed ten people who had already returned to work and reports their experiences, not outcomes.