Barriers and Facilitators Associated with Return to Work Following Minor to Serious Road Traffic Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Systematic Review.

Barriers and Facilitators Associated with Return to Work Following Minor to Serious Road Traffic Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Systematic Review.

Purpose To identify factors impeding or facilitating Return to Work (RTW) after minor to serious musculoskeletal Road
Traffic Injuries (RTI). Methods Six electronic databases were searched for studies published 1997–2020. Quantitative and
qualitative studies were included if they investigated barriers or facilitators associated with RTW in people with minor to
serious musculoskeletal RTI aged over 16 years. Methodological quality was assessed using McMaster Critical Review Form
for Quantitative studies and McMaster Critical Review Form for Qualitative Studies. Results are presented narratively as
meta-analysis was not possible. Results Eleven studies (10 quantitative and 1 qualitative) were included. There was strong
evidence that individuals with higher overall scores on the (short-form or long-form) Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire
(ÖMPQ) at baseline were less likely to RTW, and individuals with higher RTW expectancies at baseline were
more likely to RTW after musculoskeletal RTI. There was weak evidence for higher disability levels and psychiatric history
impeding RTW after musculoskeletal RTI. Conclusions Post-injury scores on the ÖMPQ and RTW expectancies are the
most influential factors for RTW after minor to serious musculoskeletal RTI. There is a need to identify consistent measures
of RTW to facilitate comparisons between studies.