An exploratory baseline study was conducted to ascertain the state of play in the field of spinal cord injury, vocational rehabilitation and employment in Queensland, Australia.
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study was to establish the rate of return to work and better understanding of vocational expectations and the vocational rehabilitation culture in the Queensland Spinal Injuries Unit, prior to the introduction of an early vocational rehabilitation intervention for people with spinal cord injury.
METHODS:
A mixed methods approach was utilised, involving administration of either an online survey tool or paper questionnaire to people who had sustained a spinal cord injury within the preceding three years. Statistical analysis of the quantitative data and thematic analysis of the qualitative free-text data was undertaken with the 34 eligible responses.
RESULTS:
The findings demonstrate a dramatic change in the rate of employment following spinal cord injury, and a lack of vocationally focused support whilst participants were undergoing in-patient rehabilitation.
CONCLUSIONS:
The study indicates a return to work rate of approximately 35%, and provides support for an individualised vocational rehabilitation intervention, fully integrated into the multidisciplinary spinal injuries unit rehabilitation program.
Arango-Lasprilla,J. C., Ketchum,J. M., Francis,K., Lewis,A., Premuda,P., Wehman,P., & Kreutzer,J. (2010). Race, ethnicity, and employment outcomes 1, 5, and 10 years after spinal cord injury: A longitudinal analysis. PM & R: The Journal Of Injury, Function, And Rehabilitation, 2 (10), 901–910.
10.1016/j.pmrj.2010.05.009.
2.
Bergmark,L., Westgren,N., & Asaba,E. (2011). Returning to work after spinal cord injury: Exploring young adults’ early expectations and experience. Disability and Rehabilitation, 33 (25-26), 2553–2558. 10.3109/09638288.2011.579224.
3.
Blauwet,C., Sudhakar,S., Doherty,A. L., Garshick,E., Zafonte,R., & Morse,L. R. (2013). Participation in organized sports is positively associated with employment in adults with spinal cord injury. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 92(5), 393–401.
10.1097/PHM.0b013e3182876a5f.
4.
Bloom,J., Dorsett,P., & McLennan,V. (2017). Integrated services and early intervention in the vocational rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injuries. Spinal Cord Series And Cases, 3, 16042. 10.1038/scsandc.2016.42.
5.
Burns,S. M., Boyd,B. L., Hill,J., & Hough,S. (2010). Psychosocial predictors of employment status among men living with spinal cord injury. Rehabilitation Psychology, 55(1), 81–90. 10.1037/a0018583.
6.
Fadyl,J. K., & McPherson,K. M. (2010). Understanding decisions about work after spinal cord injury. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 20(1), 69–80. 10.1007/s10926-009-9204-1.
7.
Franceschini,M., Pagliacci,M. C., Russo,T., Felzani,G., Aito,S., & Marini,C. (2012). Occurrence and predictors of employment after traumatic spinal cord injury: The GISEM Study. Spinal Cord, 50(3), 238–242. 10.1038/sc.2011.131.
8.
Go,B. K., DeVivo,M. J., & Richards,J. S. (1995). The epidemiology of spinal cord injury. In S. L.Stover, J.DeLisa & G.Whiteneck (Eds.), Spinal Cord Injury: Clinical Outcomes from the Model Systems (pp. 21–55). Gaithersburg, Maryland: Aspen Publishers.
9.
Hay-Smith,E. J. C., Dickson,B., Nunnerley,J., & Sinnott,K. A. (2013). The final piece of the puzzle to fit in”: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the return to employment in New Zealand after spinal cord injury. Disability and Rehabilitation, 35(17), 1436–1446. 10.3109/09638288.2012.737079.
10.
Johnstone,D., & Cameron,I. (2014). Evaluation of the InVoc Pilot – Early Access to Vocational Rehabilitation Services (for People with Spinal Cord Injury): Interim Report. Sydney University, New South Wales: Rehabilitation Studies Unit, Sydney Medical School.
11.
Krause,J., Terza,J. V., Saunders,L. L., & Dismuke,C. E. (2010). Delayed entry into employment after spinal cord injury: Factors related to time to first job. Spinal Cord, 48(6), 487–491 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/sc.2009.157.
12.
Krause,J. S., Saunders,L. L., & Acuna,J. (2012). Gainful employment and risk of mortality after spinal cord injury: Effects beyond that of demographic, injury and socioeconomic factors. Spinal Cord, 50(10), 784–788. 10.1038/sc.2012.49.
13.
Lidal,I. B., Hjeltnes,N., RøislienJ., Stanghelle,J. K., & Biering-SørensenF. (2009). Employment of persons with spinal cord lesions injured more than 20 years ago. Disability and Rehabilitation, 31(26), 2174–2184. 10.3109/09638280902946952.
14.
Lidal,I. B., Huynh,T. K., & Biering-Sorensen,F. (2007). Return to work following spinal cord injury: A review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 29, 1341–1375. 10.1080/09638280701320839.
15.
Marti,A., Reinhardt,J. D., Graf,S., Escorpizo,R., & Post,M. W. M. (2012). To work or not to work: Labour market participation of people with spinal cord injury living in Switzerland. Spinal Cord, 50(7), 521–526. 10.1038/sc.2011.181.
16.
Meade,M. A., Forchheimer,M. B., Krause,J. S., & Charlifue,S. (2011). The influence of secondary conditions on job acquisition and retention in adults with spinal cord injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 92(3), 425–432. 10.1016/j.apmr.2010.10.041.
17.
Middleton,J. W., Johnson,D., Murphy,G., Ramakrishnan,K., Savage,N., Harper,R., & Cameron,I. (2015). Early access to vocational rehabilitation for spinal cord injury inpatients. Journal of Rehabilitaion Medicine, 5(47), 626–631. 10.2340/16501977-1980.
18.
Mpofu,E., & Houston,E. (1998). Assessment of value change in persons with acquired physical disabilities. Canadian Journal of Rehabilitation, 12(1), 53–61.
19.
National Health and Medical Research Council (2007). The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, 2007 (Updated May, 2015). Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
20.
Norton,L. (2010). Spinal cord injury, Australia 2007-08. Cat. no. INJCAT 128. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
21.
Ottmann,G., Laragy,C., & Haddon,M. (2009). Experiences of disability consumer-directed care users in Australia: Results from a longitudinal study. Health and Social Care, 17(5), 466–476. 10.1111/j.1365-2524.2009.00851.x.
22.
Ottomanelli,L., Barnett,S. D., & Goetz,L. L. (2013). A prospective examination of the impact of a supported employment program and employment on health-related quality of life, handicap, and disability among Veterans with SCI. Quality of Life Research, 22(8), 2133–2141. 10.1007/s11136-013-0353-5.
23.
Ottomanelli,L., Barnett,S. D., & Toscano,R. (2014). Individual placement and support (IPS) in physical rehabilitation and medicine: The VA spinal cord injury experience. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 37(2), 110. 10.1037/prj0000079.
24.
Ottomanelli,L., Goetz,L., Suris,A., McGeough,C., Sinnott,P. L., Toscano,R., & Thomas,F. (2012). Effectiveness of supported employment for veterans with spinal cord injuries: Results from a randomized multisite study. Archives of PhysicalMedicine and Rehabilitation, 93(5), 740–747. 10.1016/j.apmr.2012.01.002.
25.
Ottomanelli,L., & Lind,L. (2009). Review of critical factors related to employment after spinal cord injury: Implications for research and vocational services. The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 32(5), 503–531. 10.1080/10790268.2009.11754553.
26.
Phillips,V. L., Hunsaker,A. E., & Florence,C. S. (2012). Return to work and productive activities following a spinal cord injury: The role of income and insurance. Spinal Cord, 50(8), 623–626. 10.1038/sc.2012.22.
Trenaman,L. M. (2014). Interventions for improving employment outcomes among individuals with spinal cord injury: A systematic review. Spinal Cord, 52(11), 788–794. 10.1038/sc.2014.149.
29.
Tovell,A. (2018) Spinal cord injury, Australia, 2013–14.Injury research and statistics series no. 107. Cat. no. INJCAT 183. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
30.
Victorian Neurotrauma Initiative (2009), The economic cost of spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury in Australia. Canberra: Access Economics.
31.
Wong,A. W. K., Heinemann,A. W., Wilson,C. S., Neumann,H., Fann,J., Tate,D. G., & Bombardier,C. H. (2014). Predictors of participation enfranchisement after spinal cord injury: The mediating role of depression and moderating role of demographic and injury characteristics. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 95(6), 1106–1113. 10.1016/j.apmr.2014.01.027.
32.
Young,A. E., & Murphy,G. C. (2009). Employment status after spinal cord injury (1992-2005): A review with implications for interpretation, evaluation, further research, and clinical practice. International Journal Of Rehabilitation Research, 32(1), 1–11. 10.1097/MRR.0b013e32831c8b19.
