Researchers from the universities of Nottingham and Central Lancashire sought to determine whether vocational rehabilitation increases the chances of people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) returning to or remaining in work.
They did this by comparing a group of TBI survivors who received vocational rehabilitation to a group with no access to specialist support. They also sought to determine the cost effectiveness of the specialist service.
One of the groups studied consisted of 40 TBI patients in Nottingham who were offered specialist occupational therapy. This group was compared to another comprising 54 people in surrounding areas who received their usual care. Results showed that 15% more people in the specialist intervention group returned to work one year after hospital discharge.
The difference between the groups was even larger (27%) for participants with moderate or severe TBI. Participants in the specialist group also returned to work sooner, particularly those with minor injuries. 93% of those with minor injuries in the specialist group were back at work after three months compared to just 56% of those in the usual care group.
The initial cost of specialist intervention was just £75 per person more over the whole year compared to the cost of standard care. However, when taking into account lost patient and carer wages, personal expenses, employer costs and Job Centre services, the specialist group cost an average of £1,863 less per person than the usual care group.
The results of this study provide support for greater provision of specialist vocational rehabilitation services. As the study was small, the authors suggest further largescale investigations are necessary in order to find out if the positive trends can be repeated.
Reference
Phillips J, Radford K.A, Drummond A.E, Sach T, (2011) Employment after traumatic brain injury (TBI): Cohort comparison and economic analysis. Clinical Rehabilitation, 25; 957-8.
