Browsing by Author "Kriel, Saleema"

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    Patients’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators influencing ability to return to work post-stroke
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-04) Kriel, Saleema; Inglis-Jassiem, Gakeemah; Morris, Linzette; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences. Physiotherapy.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : Introduction: Stroke is a neurological condition that impacts on the functional ability of the individual and affects participation in everyday activities, including returning to work. The various factors resulting from a stroke impacting the individual’s ability to return to work is not fully clarified in the South African context. While there is literature in SA regarding physical disabilities which could affect the stroke patient’s ability to return to work the patient’s perceptions of these factors needs to be better understood. This study therefore addresses the patients’ perceptions of barriers and potential facilitators affecting return to work post-stroke in the Western Cape. Objective: The objective of this study was to better understand the patient’s perception of barriers and facilitators affecting return to work post-stroke. Methods: A qualitative retrospective study was conducted. Participants were recruited from the Delft, Elsies River and Bishop Lavis communities in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The study included adult males and females from the age of 18, who had a stroke within the four years prior to data collection for this study, affecting their ability to engage in gainful employment. Various data collection tools were used during the course of this study, inclusive of the Modified Rankin scale (mRS), a self-developed sociodemographic questionnaire and Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS QoL Scale). Individual interviews were conducted with participants in the mentioned communities. Data from the sociodemographic form, mRS and SS-QoL were analysed using frequency tables and reported in tables. Atlas.ti. (Version 6.2.15; 2011) software was used to code and analyse the qualitative data from the interview transcriptions. Results: A total of six participants participated in the interviews. An equal amount of males versus females were included. The age range of the participants was between 51 to 61 years, and one participant was 71 years old. All participants were involved in some form of employment before the onset of the stroke. Examples of this includes a builder/brick layer (n=2), domestic worker (n=1), textile machinist (n=1), repair/handy man (n=1) and managing a small goods shop from their home (n=1). All of these occupations were physically demanding. None of the participants had returned to work at the time of the interviews. The barriers and potential facilitators identified were categorised into environmental and physical factors. Environmental barriers were identified to be due to weather, uneven terrain and transport difficulties. Physical barriers were identified to be due to functional difficulties, psychosocial factors and residual symptoms post-stroke. Potential environmental facilitators were identified to be transport and work ergonomics. Potential physical facilitators were related to greater functional abilities, positive psycho-social factors and good healthcare and/or rehabilitation. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that return to work is influenced by several factors. These factors include the functional ability of the individual which is well supported in the literature, their environment, socio-economic status and their psychological well-being. It was however surprising to unravel the extent that the stroke participants’ psychosocial well-being impacted on their perception of barriers and potential facilitators to return to work. Psychosocial factors were found to weigh heavily on an individual’s return to work ability post-stroke. Based on the findings of this study, various recommendations can be made for rehabilitation, and for future studies.