Return-to-work challenges following a work-related mild TBI: The injured worker perspective

Abstract

Primary objective: To explore how individuals with work-related mild traumatic brain injury (wrMTBI) experience return-to-work (RTW) processes when returning to the workplace where the injury occurred.

Design: RTW experiences were explored using in-depth interviews and an inductive analytic approach. Qualitative analysis guided by the research question moved through phases of line-by-line and thematic coding through which categories and the interaction between categories emerged.

Participants: Twelve workers diagnosed with a wrMTBI reported on their RTW experiences following wrMTBIs that occurred 3–5 years prior to the time of the interview.

Main outcomes and results: Participants perceived employer and workers’ compensation factors as profoundly influencing their RTW experiences. Participants consistently reported that employers and workers’ compensation representatives had an inadequate understanding of wrMTBI sequelae. Six of 12 participants were re-injured following their wrMTBI, with three of these injuries occurring at work.

Conclusion: Employers, co-workers and workers’ compensation representatives should be aware of wrMTBI sequelae so injured workers can receive appropriate supports and both stigmatization and re-injury can be mitigated. Greater attention to the structural and social elements of workplace and compensation environments could inform strategies to break down barriers to successful return-to-work following a wrMTBI.

• Injured workers
• insurance
• mild traumatic brain injury
• occupational injuries
• return-to-work
• workers’ compensation

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the workers who participated in this study for sharing their experiences and knowledge regarding the work that they do, the challenges they experience and their strength and dedication to their professions. We would also like to thank Sandra Sokoloff for editorial support and Liane Daiter for assistance with data coding and analysis.

This study was supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research-Institute for Gender and Health Grant (#OGW-123786). We also acknowledge the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Foundation - UHN and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, which provided funding under the Provincial Rehabilitation Research Program to the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network. Support for Dr. Colantonio was provided by the CIHR Research Chair in Gender, Work and Health (#CGW-126580) and the Saunderson Family Chair in Acquired Brain Injury Research at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.