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


METHODS
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.


METHODS
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.


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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
a University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada .
Elizabeth
E
Mansfield
a University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada .|b Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network , Toronto , ON , Canada .|c Institute for Work & Health , Toronto , ON , Canada .
Mary
M
Stergiou-Kita
d University of Southern Denmark , Odense , Denmark .
John David
JD
Cassidy
a University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada .|b Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network , Toronto , ON , Canada .
Mark
M
Bayley
e Ontario Network of Injured Workers' Groups , Kaministiquia , ON , Canada .
Steve
S
Mantis
a University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada .|c Institute for Work & Health , Toronto , ON , Canada .|f Lakehead University , Thunder Bay , ON , Canada .
Vicki
V
Kristman
a University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada .
Bonnie
B
Kirsh
a University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada .
Manuel
M
Gomez
a University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada .|g Ross Tilley Burn Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre , Toronto , ON , Canada .|h Sunnybrook Research Institute , Toronto , ON , Canada , and.
Mark G
MG
Jeschke
a University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada .
Oshin
O
Vartanian
i Electrical Safety Authority , Mississauga , ON , Canada.
Joel
J
Moody
a University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada .|b Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network , Toronto , ON , Canada .
Angela
A
Colantonio
D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D062707:Return to Work / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D014942:Workers' Compensation; D055815:Young Adult
Injured workers; insurance; mild traumatic brain injury; occupational injuries; return-to-work; workers’ compensation