Impact of Brain Injury on Return to Work
Following traumatic brain injury, return to work can often be a complex and lengthy process. This is due to a number of factors that impact upon return to work as a consequence of the physical, cognitive, and behavioural changes resulting from traumatic brain injury. The process and issues involved in return to work, and the common difficulties experienced by people with traumatic brain injury in relation to work will be mentioned. Useful workplace strategies that can assist people and their employers to optimise successful outcomes will be outlined.
A summary of data collected since the year 2000 on return to work outcomes for the Epworth Rehabilitation vocational program at Epworth Hospital, Melbourne, will be presented. This information includes duration of post traumatic amnesia, length of vocational intervention required, job characteristics, and final return to work status. Influence of length of post traumatic amnesia and job complexity will be highlighted as part of the presentation on outcomes.