Participation in the workforce after a traumatic brain injury: a matter of control

Clinician perspectives on characteristics and care of traumatic brain injury among asylum seekers and refugees

PURPOSE

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) disproportionately affects asylum-seekers and refugees (ASR), although underdiagnosed and undertreated. Our study assesses clinicians' perspectives on characteristics and management of TBI among ASR, with the hope of improving TBI management in this population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted six focus groups of 16 clinicians across two academic medical centers in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Clinicians in our sample included primary care clinicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, psychologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, and neuropsychologists. We analyzed the qualitative data following a hybrid inductive-deductive thematic analytic approach.

RESULTS

Clinicians characterized TBI among ASR as mostly mild and remote, involving head strikes, perpetrated predominantly by interpersonal violence and strangulation-related brain injury, and involving symptom overlap with mental health diagnoses, challenging diagnosis. Clinicians also described inadequate screening, the importance of connecting the physical and psychological symptoms of the brain injury rather than viewing them as distinct, and addressing diagnosis-related stigma and shame. Finally, they discussed lack of TBI-specific knowledge among providers and patients alike, and resource limitations affecting the continuum of care for this population.

CONCLUSION

Integrating clinicians' perspectives in caring for this population allows us to best meet their needs, including in TBI recovery.

Workplace accommodation in return to work after mild traumatic brain injury

BACKGROUND: While a vast amount of research focuses on unmodifiable and individual factors that may impact return to work (RTW) for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), less knowledge exists of the relationship between specific workplace factors and work retention. OBJECTIVE: Identify types of accommodation in the workplace that influence the RTW process for employees with TBI and the challenges associated with them. METHODS: A multiple case study consisting of 38 cases and 109 interviews of employees with TBI and their managers conducted between 2017 and 2020 at two time points. RESULTS: Accommodation of both the organizational and psychosocial work environment influences RTW for employees with TBI. Social support and supportive management may have positive and negative effects. RTW is often not a linear process. Over time, maintaining and developing customized accommodation in the work organization is challenging. CONCLUSIONS: Uncertainty about accommodation in RTW for employees with TBI is closely linked to lack of knowledge in the workplace of how to handle complex and nonlinear RTW processes. Work-oriented rehabilitation should to a greater extent provide managers with relevant information and support to develop the person-environment fit over time.

The role of occupational participation for people with traumatic brain injury: a systematic review of the literature

PURPOSE

Improving participation and quality of life is a desirable goal following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize existing findings concerning the role of occupational participation for persons with TBI.

METHODS

A systematic literature search using four electronic databases was followed by a review of all titles and abstracts. Articles were included if the studies were conducted with adults with TBI, used a qualitative methodology and explored the role or meaning of occupations and occupational participation from the perspectives of individuals with TBI. Following data extraction, a thematic synthesis was conducted.

RESULTS

A total of 642 articles were identified, of which 14 met all inclusion criteria. Three themes related to the role of occupations for people with TBI emerged: reflecting on change in occupational performance and occupational participation, occupational adaptation, and individual meaning of occupational participation.

CONCLUSION

The findings demonstrate the significance of occupational participation for people following TBI. Occupational participation enabled better understanding of one's abilities and limitations, assisted in occupational adaptation, and held unique meaning for participants. The findings also highlight the importance of providing long-term services focused on enabling participation in occupations in order to ensure successful adaptation following TBI.Implications for rehabilitationFor persons with TBI, occupational participation enables recognition of changes in their performance, contributes to the process of adaptation and identity (re)construction, fulfils various intrinsic needs and provides a sense of personal meaning.Rehabilitation professionals should recognize persons with TBI as occupational beings and work with individuals to identify the meaning of important occupations in the process of understanding and adapting to changes in capability, performance and participation.The rehabilitation process should focus on enabling persons to perform and participate in the occupations they want, need or are expected to do in their daily lives.National and regional health care systems should ensure that persons with TBI are provided with appropriate physical, social and institutional support and services in order to achieve meaningful occupational engagement.

Occupational adaptation - analyzing the maturity and understanding of the concept through concept analysis

Background: Occupational adaptation is a key occupational therapy concept, yet lacks clarity and consensus, impacting on its application in practice, theory and research. Concept analysis is a rigorous methodology which enables identification of unique features, gaps in knowledge, and the need for further concept refinement.Aim: This study aimed to determine the conceptual maturity of occupational adaptation, and identify steps needed to understand and use occupational adaptation.Methods: Four databases were searched using the term 'occupational adaptation' and a principle-based concept analysis was conducted from epistemological, pragmatic, linguistic, and logical perspectives. A mapping of the concept's evolution and analysis of the maturity of its structural features also occurred.Results: Seven hundred and fourty-eight papers were identified, which reduced to 161 after abstract and full-text review. A diverse range of applications and two primary theoretical frames of reference were identified. The definition, attributes, preconditions, outcomes, and boundaries of the concept lacked maturity, limiting clinical utility.Conclusions and significance: Occupational adaptation is a concept applied across many practice and research contexts, yet the concept is not fully mature. Concept refinement is required before further applied research is conducted. A shared understanding of occupational adaptation through refinement and research may consolidate its importance and future utility.

Employment Stability in the First 5 Years After Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

OBJECTIVE

To characterize employment stability and identify predictive factors of employment stability in working-age individuals after moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) that may be clinically addressed.

DESIGN

Longitudinal observational study of an inception cohort from the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Database (TBIMS-NDB) using data at years 1, 2, and 5 post-TBI.

SETTING

Inpatient rehabilitation centers with telephone follow-up.

PARTICIPANTS

Individuals enrolled in the TBIMS-NDB since 2001, aged 18-59, with employment data at 2 or more follow-up interviews at years 1, 2, and 5 (N=5683).

INTERVENTIONS

Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Employment stability, categorized using post-TBI employment data as no paid employment (53.25%), stably (27.20%), delayed (10.24%), or unstably (9.31%) employed.

RESULTS

Multinomial regression analyses identified predictive factors of employment stability, including younger age, white race, less severe injuries, preinjury employment, higher annual earnings, male sex, higher education, transportation independence postinjury, and no anxiety or depression at 1 year post-TBI.

CONCLUSIONS

Employment stability serves as an important measure of productivity post-TBI. Psychosocial, clinical, environmental, and demographic factors predict employment stability post-TBI. Notable predictors include transportation independence as well as the presence of anxiety and depression at year 1 post-TBI as potentially modifiable intervention targets.