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.

Keywords: Injured workers; insurance; mild traumatic brain injury; occupational injuries; return-to-work; workers’ compensation.