Stroke survivors' long-term participation in paid employment.

Background: Knowledge on long-term participation is scarce for patients with paid employment at the time of stroke.

Objective: Describe the characteristics and the course of participation (paid employment and overall participation) in patients who did and did not remain in paid employment.

Methods: Patients with paid employment at the time of stroke completed questions on work up to 30 months after starting rehabilitation, and the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation-Participation (USER-P, Frequency, Restrictions and Satisfaction scales) up to 24 months.

Current practices, needs, and expectations of discussing work with a medical specialist from a patient's perspective: a qualitative study.

Purpose: Attention to paid work in clinical health care-clinical work-integrating care (CWIC)-might be beneficial for patients of working age. However, the perceptions and expectations of patients about CWIC are unknown. The aim of this study was to develop an understanding of current practices, needs, and expectations among patients for discussing work with a medical specialist.

Availability of vocational rehabilitation services for people with acquired brain injury in Dutch rehabilitation institutions.

Objective: To provide an overview of the availability of and process involved in vocational rehabilitation (VR) services for people with acquired brain injury (ABI) provided in Dutch rehabilitation institutions.

Methods: A survey on the availability and characteristics of the VR intervention process for people with ABI was conducted in all Dutch rehabilitation centers and rehabilitation departments of general and academic hospitals (n = 120). Different domains of the VR intervention process were included in the questionnaire, the number (and percentage) of respondents giving a certain answer within a domain was reported.

Usefulness and feasibility of comprehensive and less comprehensive vocational rehabilitation for patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain: perspectives from patients, professionals, and managers.

Purpose: To explore the usefulness and feasibility of a comprehensive vocational rehabilitation (C-VR) program and less comprehensive (LC-VR) program for workers on sick leave due to chronic musculoskeletal pain, from the perspective of patients, professionals, and managers.

Materials And Methods: Semi-structured interviews were held with patients, professionals, and managers. Using topic lists, participants were questioned about barriers to and facilitators of the usefulness and feasibility of C-VR and LC-VR.

Vocational Rehabilitation with or without Work Module for Patients with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Sick Leave from Work: Longitudinal Impact on Work Participation.

Purpose To study the longitudinal relationship between interdisciplinary vocational rehabilitation (VR) with and without additional work module on work participation of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain and sick leave from work. Methods Retrospective longitudinal data retrieved from care as usual in seven VR centers in the Netherlands was used. The VR program without work module consisted of multi-component healthcare (physical exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy, education, relaxation).

Test-Retest Reliability, Agreement and Responsiveness of Productivity Loss (iPCQ-VR) and Healthcare Utilization (TiCP-VR) Questionnaires for Sick Workers with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain.

The purpose of this study was to assess test-retest reliability, agreement, and responsiveness of questionnaires on productivity loss (iPCQ-VR) and healthcare utilization (TiCP-VR) for sick-listed workers with chronic musculoskeletal pain who were referred to vocational rehabilitation. Methods Test-retest reliability and agreement was assessed with a 2-week interval. Responsiveness was assessed at discharge after a 15-week vocational rehabilitation (VR) program.

Short-Term and Long-Term Outcomes of a Vocational Rehabilitation Program for Patients with Acquired Brain Injury in The Netherlands.

Purpose To describe short-term and long-term work status after a vocational rehabilitation (VR) program in patients with acquired brain injury (ABI) in the Netherlands. Methods Patients with ABI who participated in a VR program between 2007 and 2010 were included in this study. The 4-month VR program included a multidisciplinary assessment, three meetings with all stakeholders and reintegration with coaching on the job.

Cost-effectiveness of 40-hour versus 100-hour vocational rehabilitation on work participation for workers on sick leave due to subacute or chronic musculoskeletal pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Although vocational rehabilitation is a widely advocated intervention for workers on sick leave due to subacute or chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain, the optimal dosage of effective and cost-effective vocational rehabilitation remains unknown. The objective of this paper is to describe the design of a non-inferiority trial evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of 40-h multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation compared with 100-h multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation on work participation for workers on sick leave due to subacute or chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Methods/design: A non-inferiority study design will be applied.

Evaluation of the implementation of the protocol of an early vocational rehabilitation intervention for people with acquired brain injury.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate (1) the feasibility of an early vocational rehabilitation (EVR) protocol in the standard rehabilitation process, (2) promoting factors and barriers encountered with the EVR protocol, and (3) perceived effectiveness of the protocol in facilitating return to work (RTW) following acquired brain injury (ABI).

Method: A pre- and post-process evaluation was performed in a Dutch rehabilitation center. Dependent variables were feasibility (defined by the usability on process level and fulfillment of usability expectations), promoting factors and barriers, and perceived effectiveness of the protocol.

Return to work five years after spinal cord injury inpatient rehabilitation: is it related to wheelchair capacity at discharge?

Objective: To describe the proportion of people with spinal cord injury who returned to work 5 years after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, and to investigate whether return to work is related to wheelchair capacity at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.

Design: Multi-centre prospective cohort study.

Subjects: A total of 103 participants with acute spinal cord injury at 8 Dutch rehabilitation centres, specialized in the rehabilitation of spinal cord injury.

Factors influencing return to work experienced by people with acquired brain injury: a qualitative research study.

Purpose: To describe the factors experienced by adults with moderate-to-severe acquired brain injury (ABI) as either limiting or facilitating during the process of return to work (RTW) in order to give an advice about the vocational rehabilitation process.

Methods: A qualitative study was performed. Twelve adults who were working before acquiring traumatic or non-traumatic brain injury (2-3 years earlier) participated.

Return to work after spinal cord injury: is it related to wheelchair capacity at discharge from clinical rehabilitation?

Objectives: To describe the number of people with spinal cord injury who returned to work (RTW) 1 yr after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation and to investigate whether RTW can be predicted from wheelchair capacity at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, after correction for confounders.

Design: Prospective cohort study in which 118 subjects with spinal cord injury (age 18-65 yrs) of eight Dutch rehabilitation centers participated. Main outcome measure was RTW for at least 1 hr/wk.

Validity of DynaPort GaitMonitor for assessment of spatiotemporal parameters in amputee gait.

Accelerometry can be used to objectively assess the walking ability of people with a lower-limb prosthesis inside and outside the laboratory setting. In this study, the validity of the DynaPort GaitMonitor software (McRoberts, The Hague, the Netherlands) for assessing spatiotemporal parameters of amputee gait was evaluated. Fourteen subjects with a lower-limb prosthesis walked on a straight level walkway at a self-selected walking speed over three different distances.