Return-to-employment for working-aged adults after burn injury: A mixed methods scoping review

Abstract

Background: This scoping review aimed to identify the barriers, facilitators and benefits of returning to work following burn injury, outcome measures used, management strategies, and models of care.

Objective: To provide a comprehensive overview about working-aged adults returning to their preinjury employment after burn injury.

Methods: We followed a pre-determined scoping review protocol to search MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, CCRCT and CDSR databases between 2000 to December 2023. Papers reporting primary data from previously employed adults with cutaneous burn injuries were included.

Results: In all, 90 articles met the review criteria. Return-to-work was both an outcome goal and process of recovery from burn injury. Physical and psychological impairments were identified barriers. Job accommodations and modifications were important for supporting the transition from hospital to workplace. Employment status and quality of life sub-scales were used to measure return-to-work.

Conclusions: Consistent definitions of work and measurements of return-to-employment after burn injury are priorities for future research. Longitudinal studies are more likely to capture the complexity of the return-to-employment process, its impact on work participation and changes in employment over time. The social context of work may assist or hinder return-to-work more than physical environmental constraints. Equitable vocational support systems would help address disparities in vocational rehabilitation services available after burn injury.

Keywords: Return-to-work; burns; employment; occupational therapy; rehabilitation; scoping review; work performance.