Return to work among workers recovering from severe COVID-19 in Slovenia: a focus group study

Figures & data

Table 1. Participant characteristics.

Variable	Categories	N	Average (range)
Total N		18
Gender	Female	3
	Male	15
Hospitalization and rehabilitation	Time in acute hospital (in days)	–	58 (16 − 156)
	Time in ICU (in days)	–	31 (8 − 85)
	Duration of rehabilitation (in days)	–	32 (17 − 58)
Sick leave	Duration of sick leave (in days)	–	219 (96 − 328)
Current employment status	Working full time	1
	On sick leave	15
	Unemployed	1
	Partially retired	1
Area of work prior COVID-19 infection	Health care and education	4
	Food industry and catering	2
	Maintenance and security	3
	Manual work	3
	Engineering and technology	2
	Self-employed	2
	Other	2
Work ability index (WAI) score (N = 16)	poor	6
	moderate	5
	good	3
	excellent	2

Table 2. Themes and subthemes with descriptions.

Theme	Subtheme	Description
My work, my identity	–	The importance of work in a person’s narrative and a strong wish for work re-entry. Also, a sense of loss if work re-entry is not possible yet or in doubt.
Challenges to work re-entry	Not a linear recovery	The recovery process has ups and downs and is generally unpredictable, which makes work re-entry more difficult to plan for and contributes to feelings of uncertainty.
	One-size-fits all system	Health and social care systems do not consider the individuality of patients’ recovery process; therefore, specific needs are left unmet. Absence of follow-up noted.
	Lack of collaboration	Decisions are not taken collaboratively in terms of interprofessional and cross-sectoral input. Patients’ perspective and active involvement are not considered in the process of RTW.
Personal strengths and support systems	Personal agency and self-advocacy	The individual’s level of motivation and engagement plays a significant role in the process of RTW and recuperation. Participants take responsibility and are motivated to do additional work that could help their recovery process. They act as self-advocates when required to make their voices heard.
	Supportive relationships	The importance of relationships, including family, friends, co-workers and managers. If support is not in place, recovery experience and RTW are more difficult.
Possible adaptations at work	–	Different strategies that could help with work re-entry, such as gradual return to work, reduced work hours, job reassignment. For some jobs, the existing options are not sufficient to enable work re-entry, which can prompt thoughts about retirement or career change.