Background/Aims:
Most stroke survivors who were working at the time of their stroke report a significant change in their work roles—yet receive little support in returning to work. Specialised stroke vocational rehabilitation programs have been developed to address these service gaps. Our study aimed to explore the perceptions of working-age stroke survivors who had received specialised stroke vocational rehabilitation.
Methods:
Stroke survivors were selected through purposive sampling based on their participation in a randomised controlled trial examining the effectiveness of a specialised stroke vocational rehabilitation program, delivered at Alfred Health in Victoria and Flinders Medical Centre in South Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and transcripts were analysed using a framework approach.
Results:
Fifteen stroke survivors were interviewed. Seven themes reflecting participants’ experiences of returning to work were generated. Themes included: preparedness for return to work, psychological wellbeing, changes to self-perception, therapy personalisation, and work-life balance. Our findings demonstrated shared experiences of ‘readiness’ to return to work, associated with collaborative planning, adjusting expectations, support (or its absence), and perceived confidence. Further, the significance—though often underestimated—of stroke survivors’ psychological wellbeing was highlighted throughout the interviews, with nuances that illustrated the complexity and uniqueness of each individual’s psychological experience in the return-to-work process.
Conclusion:
Our study highlighted several benefits of specialised stroke vocational rehabilitation programs as perceived by stroke survivors, including increased confidence in work roles and responsibilities and improved workplace relationships. Additionally, our findings demonstrated the benefit of incorporating psychological support into these programs and more broadly into rehabilitation.