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. 2023 Jul 28;20(15):6469.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20156469.

Interventions to Facilitate Return to Work after Stroke: A Systematic Review

Gemma Pearce  1   2 , Joan O'Donnell  1 , Rebecca Pimentel  3 , Elizabeth Blake  4 , Lynette Mackenzie  1
Affiliations

Interventions to Facilitate Return to Work after Stroke: A Systematic Review

Gemma Pearce et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Purpose: To gather knowledge about effective return to work interventions for survivors of stroke.

Methods: A database search was conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science using keywords and medical subject headings. Studies were included if they met the following criteria: (i) studies published in English since the year 2000; (ii) adult patients aged 18-65 with a primary diagnosis of stroke; (iii) working pre-stroke; and (iv) intervention in which one of the primary outcomes is return to work. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed and the evidence synthesised.

Results: Twelve studies were included, of which three were randomised controlled trials, four were retrospective studies, one was a cohort study, one was an explorative longitudinal study, one was a pre-post treatment observation study and two were pilot studies. The employment rate at follow-up ranged from 7% to 75.6%. Overall, there was limited published evidence regarding the effectiveness of interventions to promote return to work for this population, and it was unclear if return to pre-stroke work was the goal.

Conclusion: A lack of large, controlled trials, variations in follow-up time and the definitions of return to work accounted for the large range of employment rates at follow-up. There is limited published high-quality evidence regarding the effectiveness of interventions to promote return to work in working-age survivors of stroke.

Keywords: CVA; cerebrovascular accident; employment; stroke; work.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram [24].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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