What are the experiences of stroke survivors participating within a Work Rehabilitation Service; including the impact of the Work Rehabilitation Service on their stroke journey?

Abstract

A quarter of all strokes occur in people under the age of sixty-five providing stark economic consequences in potential lost productivity in people being unable to return to work.
Consequently and not surprisingly, return to work following stroke is considered an important outcome of stroke recovery. However, there is little research evidence exploring the actual process and quality of intervention during the stroke survivor’s journey to return to work, or to suggest the wider impact of vocational rehabilitation.
This study took an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach using semi-structured interviews as the method to understand the world of seven individuals experiencing vocational rehabilitation at a Work Rehabilitation Service (WRS) including the impact of the WRS on their stroke journey.
Five main themes were identified from the findings – the stroke journey, rebuilding the whole person, the WRS, psychosocial benefits of the WRS and the future. The findings emphasised the less overt or hidden aspects and perceived benefits for individuals attending the WRS, suggesting that it is far from just a process for returning to work, but instead contributes to a far wider set of
values and contributions in the individual’s stroke journey, road to recovery and future life.
This study has provided a rich and interpretive description, with new and novel exploratory
insights, into the lived experiences of individuals attending the WRS. Three key conclusions can be
drawn from the findings of this research study:
1. The WRS is a service embedded in the philosophy and principles of OT; consequently this
provides a rich vocational rehabilitation experience demonstrating positive patient
outcomes due to a successful fusion of client-centred practice and meaningful activity
within a group/peer environment.
2. The ‘hidden extras’ and unexpected outcomes of the WRS in terms of its perceived
psychosocial benefits are considered by the participants to be as important to their recovery as the core treatment and rehabilitation.
3. The WRS provides rehabilitation beyond that of vocational rehabilitation to return to
work. The philosophy and principles of the WRS combined with the hidden extras to
support the individual to develop self-management strategies to prepare them for life
post stroke.

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