300 Section - Qualitative insights from clinicians who provide specialist vocational rehabilitation with stroke clients.

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM PT

Presenting Author/Autor expositor(s)

SS

Safaa Sebak, MD

Adjunct Research Associate
Department of Neuroscience, Monash University
Ryde, New South Wales, Australia

Co-Author/Coautor(s)

SO

Sophie O'Keefe, BOccThy

Associate lecturer and Occupational Therapist
Department of Occupational Therapy, Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
EG

Erin Godecke, PhD

Professor of Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation
Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science
PERTH, Western Australia, Australia
DW

Dana Wong, PhD

Associate Professor and Clinical Neuropsychologist
School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe UniversitySchool of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University
Bundoora,, Victoria, Australia
LJ

Laura Jolliffe, PhD

Adjunct Research Associate Fellow
Department of Occupational Therapy, Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
KS

Katherine Sewell, PhD

Research Fellow
Department of Neuroscience, Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
NL

Natasha Lannin, PhD

Professor of Neuroscience
Department of Neuroscience, Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Corresponding Author/Autor a quien dirigir la corr(s)

MS

Madeleine Smith, PhD

Research Fellow in Brain Recovery & Rehabilitation Group
Department of Neuroscience, Monash University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Objectives :

Return-to-work is an important goal for working-age stroke survivors and is closely linked to identity, psychological wellbeing, independence, and social participation. Specialist vocational rehabilitation has been shown to improve vocational outcomes compared with standard rehabilitation alone, yet it is not routinely provided in clinical rehabilitation services and guidelines remain limited.

This qualitative study explored clinicians’ attitudes and perspectives on specialised vocational rehabilitation provided to stroke survivors; sought to understand the interventional components clinicians perceive as improving work outcomes after stroke; and collected their recommendations for developing a vocational rehabilitation program.

Design:

Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with eight clinicians via telephone or video call. Interviews explored clinicians’ experiences of training in and delivering the vocational rehabilitation intervention components. Data were analysed using thematic analysis to identify factors influencing acceptability and to generate preliminary recommendations for the delivery of vocational rehabilitation.

Results:

Three themes were identified: (1) secialised clinical skills are required to deliver effective vocational rehabilitation; (2) vocational rehabilitation intervention is multicomponent and delivered on a continuum; and (3) organisational support and infrastructure are critical enablers of effective vocational rehabilitation. Clinicians recognised the importance and value of vocational rehabilitation services to address stroke-specific work needs. However, they also highlighted that delivering evidence-based and effective interventions requires a specialised skill set, advanced expertise, competence, and ongoing professional development. Guidance and mentorship from experienced and qualified health professionals were strongly recommended to support consistent implementation and enhance service delivery and quality.

Conclusion:

These findings reinforce the need to embed vocational goals as an integral component of stroke rehabilitation. Despite this, there remains limited evidence on how best to deliver specialist vocational rehabilitation post-stroke, emphasising the need for a comprehensive biopsychosocial approach to inform future rehabilitation models and improve return-to-work outcomes for stroke survivors.