Abstract
The material for this book comes from a network of academics and professionals undertaking research about managing health conditions at work. The 20 authors contributing 14 chapters are primarily from the social sciences and are engaged in research and academia at several universities in the United Kingdom. The interdisciplinary nature of the network recognizes the complexity of the issues. One of the authors, a research fellow in epidemiology, has a background working as a physiotherapist specializing in musculoskeletal conditions. Another is identified as an occupational therapist with professional experience in clinical practice and applied research as well as service development with a special interest in mental health and work issues. One author is noted as being from Canada but it is not obvious why this might be relevant.
The occupational therapist’s contribution is the current state of vocational rehabilitation services. She notes the lack of a unifying framework, a dearth of robust studies on which to build an evidence base, and terminological discrepancies. She cautions against the use of a one-size-fits-all approach, emphasizing instead the need to individualize approaches to meet unique personal needs and circumstances, including the nature of the workplace and work environment.
Two exceptions to the recent and past U.K. experiences are a chapter comparing health and employment in England and the United States and a chapter describing a service model known as “Work Ability” developed and implemented in Finland. Clearly there is recognition of the complexities associated with solving the problems related to supporting people in the workplace. A multitude of issues and important questions for further research have been identified and documented, and there is a great deal more research to be done.
I embarked on this review assuming most occupational therapists would have at least a cursory interest in the topic given the title. The book was a fairly heavy read, almost textbooklike, with each chapter supported by extensive notes, further reading, and references. I have concluded that it is targeted to specialized clinicians, researchers, and policy developers, including occupational therapists in any of these roles, who have an intense and deep interest in how best to maintain the capacity of individuals with significant health conditions to enter, remain in, or return to paid work. Despite the U.K. focus, it is likely many of the challenges faced could inform future efforts to deal with similar workplace challenges in Canada.