What are the experiences of adults returning to work following recovery from Guillain-Barré syndrome? An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

. What are the experiences of adults returning to work following recovery from Guillain-Barre´ syndrome? An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Disability and Rehabilitation, 31(22): 1817-1827. AbstractPurpose. Guillain-Barre´ syndrome (GBS) is a transient inflammatory disorder affecting peripheral nerves, characterised by weakness and numbness in limbs, upper body and face. Residual problems affect a large minority, and complicate return to work. This qualitative study explored the experiences of people who returned to work following their diagnosis of GBS and recovery, to gain insight into factors that facilitated or inhibited this process.Method. Five people participated in in-depth interviews. Individual and common experiences were explored through interpretative phenomenological analysis.Findings. Three recurring themes are presented: the perceived value of work; losing and recovering a familiar identity at work; and dilemmas around using support and adaptations at work. Certain individual issues also emerged but are beyond the scope of this article. Participants tended to measure their recovery in terms of returning to work yet continued to experience certain physical and psychosocial difficulties at work related to GBS, which required active coping strategies. Limited public awareness of GBS was perceived as a hindrance when returning to work.Conclusion. This study provides a rich account of the experiences that people encounter returning to work following GBS. Rehabilitation specialists may offer more effective preparation for this process, drawing upon the issues identified.

Well-Being at Work after Return to Work (RTW): A Systematic Review

“…The diversity of instruments, as well as the dimensions or variables, used to determine employee well-being after RTW highlights the lack of clarity regarding how this concept should be conceptualized and measured. With regard to design, two studies were qualitative [ 63 , 64 ], the study by Yonezawa et al [ 65 ] can be considered quasi-experimental and the remaining seventeen were correlational. The data were gathered online, by conventional mail or over the telephone (five studies), in person at the workplace (seven studies), or in interviewees’ homes (two studies).…”

“…From a different methodological approach, one the qualitative study [ 64 ] explored the experiences of people who returned to work after being diagnosed with and having recovered from Guillain-Barré syndrome, in order to gain insight into the factors which facilitated or inhibited this process. The interviews revealed that after returning to work, participants continued to experience certain physical and psychosocial difficulties related to the Guillain-Barré syndrome, which required active coping strategies.…”

How Do Women Value Work Shortly After Breast Cancer Surgery and Are Their Valuations Associated With Being on Sick Leave?

“…Several studies have studied involvement, satisfaction, meaning of work, and work engagement, finding that a lack of them is related to sickness absence and not returning to work (53,58,93,94). This is described in a study of return to work after Guillain-Barré disease (95). Value of work is related to the quest for normality, which is often also described in relation to return to work after cancer (8,96,97).…”

Residual fatigue in Guillain-Barré syndrome is related to axonal loss

“…5 Joseph H. Friedman, Providence, RI: I applaud the authors of the AMANDYSK trial 1 and agree that their placebo-controlled withdrawal design supports the antidyskinetic effect of amantadine for L-dopa-induced dyskinesias. In addition, the added value of nerve electrophysiology should be investigated to determine the recovery status in GBS.…”