Work transition after hand injury: A scoping review

Area of Science:

• Occupational Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science
• Hand Surgery

Background:

• Successful work-related transitions after hand injury are influenced by numerous factors.
• A comprehensive review of existing literature is lacking to guide clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically identify and synthesize research evidence on return to work (RTW) following hand injury.
• To identify gaps in the current body of evidence.

Main Methods:

• Systematic scoping review of peer-reviewed, English-language literature published since 2006.
• Independent data extraction and thematic synthesis by multiple authors.
• Literature search yielded 38 relevant articles from 259 potentially relevant ones.

Main Results:

• Included studies comprised observational, cross-sectional, retrospective, mixed-methods, and qualitative designs; no experimental studies were found.
• Key themes identified were prognostic factors for RTW (25 papers) and assessment tools (18 papers).
• Significant gaps exist in evidence regarding effective interventions, routinely measured prognostic factors, and standardized assessment/outcome measures.

Conclusions:

• Despite the significant impact of hand injury on return to work capacity, current evidence is limited.
• There is a need for more robust research to inform successful work-related transitions after hand injury.