[Development and piloting of an internet-based self-help intervention to support return to work after inpatient...

Returning to the workplace after inpatient medical rehabilitation poses significant challenges for many rehabilitants. When conventional rehabilitation aftercare is not available, internet-based aftercare offers an effective alternative to support rehabilitants in incorporating action and coping strategies developed during rehabilitation into daily personal and professional life. This paper presents the development and pilot testing of the internet-based self-help intervention "marena" (My Work-Related Rehabilitation Aftercare), which was designed to support rehabilitants during this complex transition.The intervention was developed in an agile, iterative process based on comprehensive literature research and expert interviews. Its features and content were continuously refined through expert feedback loops. Rehabilitants were actively involved in order to identify potential usability problems and evaluate usability and user experience.Marena includes, among other elements, task planning with pre-designed aftercare plans, a knowledge base with frequently asked questions, and established rehabilitation strategies and exercises. Marena promotes key behaviour change techniques by providing information and supporting self-monitoring and setting aftercare goals. The pilot study included n=7 participants. Usability was rated as good, achieving a System Usability Score of 75.33 (SD=6.97). User experience was assessed in the User Experience Questionnaire with an overall score of 1.02 (SD=1.07), indicating an average rating. A total of 38 usability issues were identified, with the most frequent and severe problems occurring in the areas of design and functionality.Despite some limitations, the pilot study provides valuable insights into user interactions with the intervention. The investigation identified key usability issues, which led to specific optimizations of the application. The results highlight the importance of pilot-testing internet-based interventions with future users for identifying usability-problems early on. The intervention is currently undergoing evaluation for effectiveness in a randomized controlled trial.