Abstract
Introduction: A healthy and sustainable return to work (RTW) for a worker after injury or illness has benefits for the worker, their family, the employer, and society.1 For this research we used the following definition of RTW success; return to positive and meaningful work in a position or occupation not necessarily including all the aspects of the worker’s pre-injury or pre-illness functions or tasks. Purpose: The question behind this survey-based research was, What elements are perceived as essential, to ensure return to employment of injured or ill workers, by stakeholders with experience in the RTW process? Methods: A 32 item Likert style online survey on RTW elements was developed. An email invitation to participate was distributed, with anonymity guaranteed the participants. The respondents to the survey (n = 93) identified themselves as injured workers (n = 23), family members (n = 10), employers (n = 11), healthcare professionals (n = 31), insurance providers (n = 5) and occupational health specialists / RTW coordinators (n = 13). Results: The top 5 elements ranked at ≥75% by all stakeholders as ‘very important’ were the injured worker’s access to subsidized assistance/benefits; the availability of modified tasks/duties in the workplace for the injured worker; the injured worker’s commitment to rehabilitation; the support of the healthcare providers in RTW; and the availability of modified work hours/schedule for the worker. Conclusions: The results of this survey-based research support the idea that it is important to consider both environmental and personal factors of the worker in the RTW process.
Acknowledgements
All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Wilma Jelley and Sundip Khosa. The first draft of the manuscript was written by both authors and both authors commented and edited subsequent versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Recommended Citation
Khosa SK, Jelley W. Stakeholder Involvement and Systematic Review of Elements that Determine a Successful Return to Work for Injured Workers: A Scoping Review. The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice. 2024 Jun 26;22(3), Article 13.
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