Strategies occupational therapists employ to facilitate work-related transitions for persons with hand injuries: a study protocol for a scoping review

Assessment of the relationship between the return to work and the severity of work-related upper limb injuries using the whole person impairment

PURPOSE

Upper limb disorders are one of the most common and important types of occupational injuries. Besides, identifying the factors influencing return to work following these injuries is essential to reduce the dimensions of the problem. In this study, we investigated the return to work and associated factors following occupational injuries leading to upper limb impairment.

METHODS

In this retrospective cohort study, the rate of return to work and associated factors were assessed in 256 workers with work-related upper limb injury referred to a teaching hospital from March 2011 to December 2018. The inclusion criterion was a history of occupational injury resulting in upper limb impairment, and exclusion criteria included the presence of simultaneous impairment in other organs, congenital or non-occupational limb defects as well as patients with incomplete information in their medical records. Individuals' records, including age at the time of injury, gender, date of injury, marital status, education, level of amputation and injury, whole person impairment (WPI) and physiotherapy (prescribed by the physician) were reviewed. The WPI was calculated to assess the extent of the injury. All analyzes were performed by SPSS version 25.0.

RESULT

The rate of return to work was 54.3%, in which 51.8% for the same job and 48.2% for a new job. The main factors associated with non-return to work were more days off work (p = 0.001), higher injury severity (p = 0.001), and dominant hand injury (p = 0.034).

CONCLUSION

The number of days off work, the WPI, and dominant hand injury are the most important determinant in returning to work. In addition, increased job satisfaction and support from co-workers and employers are work-related factors that can lead to an increased return to work.

Return-to-Work Status Following One- and Two-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusions: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background: The purpose of this article was to determine the rate of return to work (RTW) and contributing factors after a one- and two-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), a common spine surgery. Recognizing the contributing factors to RTW of occupationally active patients is important.

Methodology: In this study, 68 patients were examined at three, six, and nine months after ACDF by the same team and same spinal surgeon at a single medical center, and the rate of RTW and contributing factors were determined. In this study, relationships were analyzed by the logistic regression method.

Results: The results of this study demonstrated that 77.9%, 82.4%, and 82.4% of workers had returned to work after three, six, and nine months, respectively. At nine months, 82.4% of the patients had returned to work, 19.6% returned to part-time work, and 80.4% had returned to their previous work. Conversely, 17.6% of the patients had not returned to work after nine months. In the logistic regression analysis, older age, longer absence from work before surgery, and less employer support were the related factors for no RTW.

Conclusions: Per the results, it may be concluded that nearly 82% of patients with ACDF had returned to work after nine months of follow-up. Lack of RTW is affected by older age, longer absence from work before surgery, and employer support. Planning according to these variables can reduce the burden of the problem.

Exploring the factors that affect the transition from student to health professional: an Integrative review

BACKGROUND

The nature of a new health professional's transition from student to health professional is a significant determinant of the ease or difficulty of the journey to professional competence. The integrative review will explore the extent of literature on the factors that impact the transition of new health professionals into practice, identify possible gaps and synthesise findings which will inform further research. The aim was to identify research conducted in the last two decades on the barriers, facilitators and coping strategies employed by new health professionals during their transition into practice.

METHODS

Whittemore and Knafl's methodological framework for conducting integrative reviews was used to guide this review. Sources between 1999 and 2019 were gathered using EBSCOhost (including CINAHL, Medline, Academic Search Premier, Health Science: Nursing and Academic Edition), PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane and Web of Science, as well as hand searching and follow-up of bibliographies followed. The Covidence platform was used to manage the project. All studies were screened against a predetermined selection criteria. Relevant data was extracted from included sources and analysed using thematic analysis approach.

RESULTS

Of the 562 studies identified, relevant data was extracted from 24 studies that met the inclusion criteria, and analysed to form this review. Thematic analysis approach was used to categorise the findings into theme areas. Four overarching themes emerged namely: systems and structures, personal capacities, professional competence and mediating processes. Each theme revealed the barriers, facilitators and coping strategies of transition into practice among new health graduates.

CONCLUSION

The transition into practice for new health practitioners has been described as complex and a period of great stress. Increasing clinical and practical experiences during education are required to support new health professionals in the process of closing the gap between learning and practice. Continued professional development activities should be readily available and attendance of these encouraged.

Rehabilitation following flexor tendon injury to the hand in African countries: a study protocol for a scoping review

Quality of life is enhanced by engagement in meaningful activities and participation using our hands. In African countries, people rely predominantly on the use of their hands to engage in economic productive activities, including agricultural, fishing, mining and construction, that are largely performed by machines in high-income contexts. Anecdotal evidence suggests a high incidence of flexor tendon injuries that are managed using protocols that were adopted from high-income countries and implemented without considering contextual differences. African therapists use discretion in selecting protocols thereby presenting inconsistency in tendon management. This result in challenges with ascertaining the most effective protocol, factors that influence protocols and the extent of evidence about flexor tendon rehabilitation in Africa. Therefore, this scoping review aims to provide evidence currently available on the rehabilitation of flexor tendons in African countries. This will synthesise the advantages and disadvantages of the current protocols and make proposals that are contextually relevant and cost-effective for rehabilitation of tendon injuries. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The research will follow the scoping review methodological framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). The search strategy was developed and will be used to retrieve articles from eight databases. Further literature will be searched in the bibliography of the identified eligible articles. Grey literature will be searched in scientifically reliable websites, organisations and other sources. Articles will be reviewed by two independent researchers and opinion will be sought from a third reviewer when disagreement prevails on the inclusion quality of an article. All relevant articles that meet the criteria will be analysed using Weft QDA. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The scoping review paper will be discussed with local therapists. Thereafter, findings will be published in the year 2021 and sent to rehabilitation associations in respective African countries.

[Occupational therapy after complex hand injuries : Remedy with focus on activity and participation]

BACKGROUND

Clients with complex hand injuries are considerably restricted in their daily and occupational activities as well as participation in society.

OBJECTIVE

Presentation and classification of complex hand injuries, description of the important hand therapies and occupational therapy as a remedy with a focus on occupation, case presentation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Evaluation of official statistics, analysis of publications and literature, discussion of basic occupational therapy work, expert recommendation.

RESULTS

Within the framework of reported occupational accidents, annually approximately 41% of all injured parts of the body affect the hands. The number of unreported hand injuries that occur each year in Germany is probably much higher. The hand as a multifunctional organ for gripping and perception enables people to carry out activities in a wide variety of areas of life and is the basis for a successful participation in society. The restoration of the function after a complex hand injury necessitates a multimodal approach.

CONCLUSION

By virtue of its unique perspective on human activity including the work context, occupational therapy plays a decisive role in the treatment process for clients with complex hand injuries. The aim of the rehabilitation is a successful performance of meaningful activities in the respective life context. This can only be successful through a close cooperation between all the specialist disciplines involved in the treatment. Such an interdisciplinary treatment approach enables activity and participation of the client.

Exploring the factors that affect new graduates' transition from students to health professionals: a systematic integrative review protocol

INTRODUCTION

To become a competent health professional, the nature of new graduates' transition plays a fundamental role. The systematic integrative review will aim to identify the existing literature pertaining to the barriers during transition, the facilitators and the evidence-based coping strategies that assist new graduate health professionals to successfully transition from students to health professionals.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The integrative review will be conducted using Whittemore and Knafl's integrative review methodology. Boolean search terms have been developed in consultation with an experienced librarian, using Medical Subject Heading terms on Medline. The following electronic databases have been chosen to ensure that all relevant literature are captured for this review: PubMed, EBSCOhost (including Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline, Academic Search Premier, Health Science: Nursing and Academic Edition), Scopus and Web of Science. A follow-up on the reference list of selected articles will be done to ensure that all relevant literature is included. The Covidence platform will be used to facilitate the process.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval is not required for this integrative review since the existing literature will be synthesised. The integrative review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal once all the steps have been completed. The findings will also be presented at international and national conferences to ensure maximum dissemination.