Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation

The Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation is an international forum for the publication of peer-reviewed original papers on the rehabilitation, ...

List of Papers (Total 482)

Validation of JEM Soignances Job-Exposure Matrix Through Comparison with Self-Reported Exposures Among Healthcare Workers in CONSTANCES

A healthcare-specific job-exposure matrix, JEM Soignances, was recently developed to assess the occupational exposome of healthcare workers. This study aimed to compare estimates of known associations between occupational exposures and health outcomes obtained using JEM Soignances and self-reported data. Healthcare professionals from the CONSTANCES cohort with linked data from...

Comparing the Effectiveness of Digital and Conventional Rehabilitation Aftercare on Work Ability in Orthopedic Patients: A Longitudinal Study in Germany

The primary aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of digital rehabilitation aftercare (digIRENA) with conventional rehabilitation aftercare (IRENA) and a control group without organized aftercare in improving work ability among orthopedic patients. A total of 1056 orthopedic rehabilitation patients were recruited from multiple rehabilitation clinics in Germany and...

Conceptualizing Stigma in the Injured Worker Literature: A Scoping Review

Injured workers experience stigmatization, but the current literature has not applied a stigma lens to this demographic. Stigmatizing experiences are described, but not by readily using the term “stigma,” making it difficult to locate these works. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify the terms and phrases that are being used to describe the stigmatizing experiences...

Assisting Employers of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) to Support Employees on Long-Term Sick-Leave: Development of a Web-Based SME Tool Using Intervention Mapping

Employers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face challenges in supporting employees on long-term sick-leave, due to limited resources and expertise available. This study aimed to develop an intervention assisting employers of SMEs in supporting long-term sick-listed employees during sick-leave and return to work (RTW). Intervention mapping (IM) steps 1–4 were employed...

Occupational Health Nurses’ Perceptions in Work Ability Risk Management and Analysis

Occupational health nurses (OHN) play a key role in identifying and managing work ability risks, as they have close interaction with employees and the customer organization, and they monitor work ability in multiple ways. The study aimed to describe OHNs’ perceptions of work ability risk management and analysis (WARMA) and identify promoting and hindering factors. A descriptive...

Organizational Practices and Their Outcomes for Employees with Disabilities: A Review and Synthesis of Quantitative Studies

This review and synthesis aims to answer the following question: what do existing empirical studies tell us about the relationship between organizational practices and their outcomes in terms of the performance, well-being and sustainable employment of employees with disabilities? This review builds on a scoping review of empirical studies of organizational practices aimed at the...

What Predicts Changes in the Work Situation of Recently Diagnosed People with Multiple Sclerosis and do these Predictors also Apply to Healthy People?

To study associations of baseline predictors with work difficulties and number of working hours after one year in recently diagnosed people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Furthermore, to analyze whether these predictors are generic, i.e., apply to healthy people as well, or are disease specific. TEMPRANO and MS@Work data were combined resulting in a dataset of 135 recently...

Barriers and Facilitators for Interprofessional Education in Work-Focused Healthcare: An Integrative Review

To identify, summarize, and synthesize barriers and facilitators associated with interprofessional education (IPE) for work-focused healthcare professionals such as occupational physicians, social insurance physicians, and labor experts, to inform and stimulate interprofessional collaborative practice within the field of work-focused healthcare. An integrative review was...

Realising the Case Management Ideal in Multi-organisational Coordination Work to Support Work Ability and (Re)employment in Finland

Inclusivity policies can positively impact labour shortages. The ideal approach to work ability services has shifted from being system centred to being individually tailored and human centred. Service systems are complex in many countries and case managers, referred to here as coordinators, play a key role in achieving the human-centred goal of increasing labour force...

Feasibility and Effects of Exercise During Working Hours in Acute Hospital Staff – A Non-Randomized Controlled Trial

Workplace health interventions with exercise have positive effects on musculoskeletal pain and well-being at work, however, effectiveness is questioned due to low adherence. In hospitals participation is challenged by shiftwork and unpredictable workload. Our aim was to investigate the feasibility of exercise during working hours in an acute hospital, herein to estimate the...

Resistance Exercise Training on Musculoskeletal, Metabolic and Psychological Health in Sedentary Office Workers – Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

To consolidate the emerging evidence on the effectiveness of resistance training (RT) in reducing the health risks among sedentary office workers. Four electronic databases were searched for evidence from its inception till september 20, 2024. Studies were included if they examined any form of RT program targeting musculoskeletal, metabolic, or psychological health outcomes in...

Changes in Pregabalin Dispensing to Australians with Workers’ Compensation Claims for Low Back Pain Following the Listing of Pregabalin on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

We sought to identify whether the inclusion of pregabalin on the list of medicines subsidised by the Australian government in 2013 resulted in changes to the dispensing of pregabalin to Australians with workers’ compensation claims for low back pain. Using a sample of workers’ compensation claims and payments data (2010–2018), we measured the prevalence of pregabalin dispensing...

Work Ability during the Return to Work Process: Results from a Mixed Methods Follow-Up Study Among Employees with Common Mental Disorders

A main goal during the return to work (RTW) process after a long-term sickness absence due to common mental disorders (CMDs), is to restore and maintain employees’ work ability to enable their sustained work participation. This study jointly examined employees’ work ability ratings and experiences during their RTW process with CMDs. In a mixed methods follow-up study of N = 286...

Suffering of Common Mental Disorders but Still at Work: A Longitudinal Study During Periods of Differences in Regulations for Having Sick Leave

The aim was to analyse the relationships between work environment characteristics and periods of sick leave (> 14 days) in individuals diagnosed with common mental disorders (CMDs) across 1993–2014. Additionally, the study describes changes in the work environment and sick leave trends over these two periods. From the Swedish Work Environment Surveys (SWES) 1993–2013...

Project ECHO Occupational and Environmental Medicine: A Qualitative Study of HealthCare Providers Supporting Workers with Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses

This qualitative study investigated the needs, barriers, and facilitators that affect primary care providers’ involvement in supporting patients’ stay-at-work and return-to-work following injury or illness. It also aims to understand the lived experiences of primary care providers who participated in the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes training program for...

Factors Associated with the Timing of Initial Visit to Healthcare Providers for Injured Workers with Low Back Pain Claims: A Multijurisdiction Retrospective Cohort

Evidence shows that patient outcomes following musculoskeletal injury have been associated with the timing of care. Despite the increasing number of injured workers presenting with low back pain (LBP) in primary care, little is known about the factors that are associated with the timing of initial healthcare provider visits. This study investigated factors that are associated...

Wellbeing and the Lived Experience of Injured Workers Following Finalisation of a Workers’ Compensation Claim

Workers’ compensation claims can negatively affect the wellbeing of injured workers. For some, these negative effects continue beyond finalisation of the workers’ compensation claim. It is unclear what factors influence wellbeing following finalisation of a workers’ compensation claim. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore wellbeing through the lived experience of...

Predicting Occupational Outcomes for Individuals with ADHD: The Role of Hyperactivity/Impulsivity and Executive Functioning

The present study adds to the literature by evaluating the differential risk of ADHD symptom dimensions and executive functioning (EF; time management, organization, motivation) to key occupational outcomes. Participants were adults (N = 100; 51% male) with ADHD working full-time between the ages of 19–30 (M = 26.61, SD = 2.28). Participants reported on their ADHD symptoms and EF...

Validating the Core Set for Vocational Rehabilitation in a Population of Cancer Survivors: A Cross-Sectional Study

The Core Set for Vocational Rehabilitation (CS-VR), a checklist based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), captures the work functioning of individuals requiring VR. By listening to cancer survivors’ experiences and stakeholders’ perspectives, the CS-VR-Onco of 85 ICF-based categories was obtained. The aim of this study was to assess...

Effectiveness and Characteristics of Work Participation Interventions for Adults with Musculoskeletal Upper Limb Conditions: A Systematic Review

To systematically identify and evaluate interventions to improve work participation for adults with upper limb musculoskeletal conditions, and explore contextual factors and mechanisms that suggest how the intervention is effective, for whom, and in what setting. The review protocol was pre-registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023433216). Eligible studies met the following criteria...

Successful Strategies for Occupational Health and Safety in Small and Medium Enterprises: Insights for a Sustainable Return to Work

The objectives of this paper were to summarize successful strategies in occupational health and safety (OHS) management in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and to explore their potential applicability for disability management (DM) and return-to-work (RTW) after work-related injuries. A scoping review was conducted, using a consensus-based iterative approach, and a...

Evaluation of the Acceptability and Feasibility of Stress Mitigation Education and Support Delivered via Telehealth for People After Road Traffic Musculoskeletal/Orthopedic Injury

To evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a consumer co-designed telehealth intervention which aimed to reduce claimant distress by providing pain management strategies, informational and social support to people who had made a compensation claim following road traffic musculoskeletal injury. Eleven claimant participants who were at risk of a poor outcome completed the...