ABSTRACT
Returning to work can be challenging for burn survivors. Approximately 28% never return to any form of employment, resulting in lower health-related quality of life. Open communication has been identified as a facilitator for return to work (RTW). To ease the RTW process and promote communication with coworkers and employers a knowledge translation (KT) intervention was developed for burn survivors. Following its implementation, the impact on the RTW process was evaluated. This study was a cross-sectional, mixed methods study where burn survivors included in the KT intervention were compared with a control group. Control group participants were selectively invited so that the two groups' mean age, sex, and percent total body surface area burned were similar. Semistructured interviews gathered information about their RTW process and outcomes. Qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis and quantitative data were summarized and compared using Mann-Whitney tests. Overall, both groups were satisfied with their RTW process. Participants from the control group identified more barriers related to support received, particularly at work, and reported more psychological symptoms such as posttraumatic stress disorder, self-consciousness, and discomfort with questions. Many participants from the KT group indicated the KT intervention gave them tools and information to provide others with a better understanding of their lived experience. It is possible that the KT intervention facilitated more open communication by empowering burn survivors to explain their situation on their own, thus reducing the prevalence of social and psychological barriers by allowing them to self-advocate for more support.
