Repository logo
 

Barriers and facilitators to staying in work after stroke: insight from an online forum.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Repository DOI


Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Balasooriya-Smeekens, Chantal 
De Simoni, Anna 

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To explore barriers and facilitators to staying in work following stroke. DESIGN: Qualitative analysis of posts regarding staying in work following stroke using the archives of an online forum for stroke survivors. PARTICIPANTS: 60 stroke survivors (29 male, 23 female, 8 not stated; mean age at stroke 44 years) who have returned to work, identified using terms 'return to work' and 'back at work'. SETTING: Posts from UK stroke survivors and family members on Talkstroke, the forum of the Stroke Association, between 2004 and 2011. RESULTS: Stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) survivors reported residual impairments that for many had impact on work. Most impairments were 'invisible', including fatigue, problems with concentration, memory and personality changes. Participants described positive (eg, back at work being better than expected) and negative work experiences, including being at risk of losing the job because of stroke-related impairments. Barriers to successfully staying in work included lack of understanding of stroke--in particular invisible impairments--of survivors, employers and general practitioners (GPs), and lack of support in terms of formal adjustments, and 'feeling supported'. Stroke survivors described how they developed their own coping strategies, and how workplace and employer helped them to stay in work. CONCLUSIONS: Despite having been able to return to work after a stroke, people may still experience difficulties in staying in work and risking losing their job. There is a need to improve awareness, in particular of invisible stroke-related impairments, among stroke survivors, work personnel and clinicians. This might be achieved through improved assessments of residual impairments in the workplace and in general practice. Future studies should investigate the effect of unrecognised fatigue and invisible impairments on staying in work following stroke, and explore the potential role for primary care in supporting stroke survivors who have returned to employment.

Description

Keywords

OCCUPATIONAL & INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, PRIMARY CARE, QUALITATIVE RESEARCH, Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Aged, Employment, Female, Humans, Internet, Ischemic Attack, Transient, Male, Middle Aged, Qualitative Research, Return to Work, Social Support, Stroke Rehabilitation, Surveys and Questionnaires, Survivors, Workplace, Young Adult

Journal Title

BMJ Open

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2044-6055
2044-6055

Volume Title

6

Publisher

BMJ
Sponsorship
This study was funded by the Evelyn Trust. Anna De Simoni is funded by a NIHR Academic Clinical Lectureship. Andrew Bateman was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care East of England at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.