What Works (or Doesn't) in Return to Work after Physical Injury? A Qualitative Study on the Perspectives of Trauma Patients and Health Care Professionals on Barriers and Facilitators in Return to Work.
E de Groot, A M Hermans, M A C de Jongh and 8 others
PMID 40617990WHAT IT FOUND
Trauma patients described hospital care as ignoring work entirely, leaving them to figure out reintegration alone.
They valued therapists who actively protected them from overstretching and helped adjust schedules rather than just treating physical function.
Key findings
01Patients reported that hospital follow-up care focused almost exclusively on physical recovery, leaving them feeling unsupported regarding their return to work and daily life after injury.
02Physical therapists and occupational therapists were specifically identified by patients as crucial supports who helped prevent premature return to work and overstretching.
03Effective reintegration relied on adjusting how work was scheduled and executed, such as breaking tasks into smaller blocks with more breaks, rather than just modifying the tasks themselves.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Most patients sustained injuries during or just before the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have skewed perceptions of care due to disrupted services. Selection bias may exist, as patients dissatisfied with their follow-up care might have been more motivated to participate. Health care professions were not equally represented, with four occupational physicians included versus only one general practitioner, potentially weighting the professional perspective.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these themes as evidence that specific interventions improve return-to-work outcomes. This study reports perceptions of barriers and facilitators, not the effectiveness of treatments.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →