Chronic musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are the most common cause of work disability in the western world. Return to work (RTW) with chronic MSD is a complex process dependent on individual and social factors, including individual perceptions of the process. No studies have addressed RTW in the Slovenian context of high job protection legislation. This study was aimed at understanding how Slovenian employees with MSD made sense of their experiences with work and life before and after the occurrence of MSD, giving meaning to their perceptions of the possibility to return to work. Data were collected through narrative interviews with six Slovenian employees with chronic MSD and analyzed with a paradigmatic approach. The participants described their experiences in a narrative of a transition from a life of stability and fulfillment to a life of suspense about their future. The work environment as well as health and disability systems were experienced as the most decisive in the development of those perceptions. The participants linked those experiences, more than the MSD itself, to their feelings of hope, doubt and fear about their possibilities of returning to work. The study shows how narratives about life and work can give meaning to individual perceptions of RTW process in a specific social and work context.

The study reveals new insights into using the COPM results in occupational therapy, especially into the contextual factors that influence the meaning and importance of work for clients in vocational rehabilitation.

Background. Collaborative goal setting is an important part of client-centered occupational therapy. However, not all therapists have comparable skills when it comes to setting goals. Purpose. The aim of our study was to explore the experiences of novice and expert occupational therapists who use the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure in the process of goal setting. Method. This study followed a focused ethnography approach. Four beginners and four experienced occupational therapists were interviewed about their experiences with goal setting. We also observed them during a goal setting session. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings. The four main themes that emerged from the analysis showed both similarities and differences between novice and experienced therapists, especially in the areas of communication, guidance, and flexibility, as well as dilemmas they were facing. Implications. Our findings challenge the client-centeredness of the participants and the relevance of work experience when it comes to collaborative goal setting.

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BACKGROUND: People with vision impairment are a growing group of clients for occupational therapists, particularly those working in vocational rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: To examine the occupational priorities and performance issues of blind and partially sighted people entering vocational rehabilitation in Slovenia. Possible differences between priorities and issues among diagnostic groups and in relation to the rehabilitation outcome were explored. METHODS: Records of 42 clients referred to vocational rehabilitation at the University Rehabilitation Institute in Ljubljana between 2007 and 2019 were reviewed. Information on self-perceived occupational priorities and issues was obtained from the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). RESULTS: Household and other unpaid work was identified the most frequently (20%) as a priority, followed by job-seeking (19%) and community mobility (15%). Job-seeking was the top performance issue (43%), followed by community mobility (21%) and household management (19%). On the 1–10 scale, the average occupational performance and satisfaction scores were 6.7 and 6.5, respectively; no statistically significant differences in relation to the diagnosis or the rehabilitation outcome were observed. CONCLUSION: The results highlight the client-identified occupational priorities and issues beside job-seeking that need to be considered in planning occupational therapy and supporting the persons with visual impairments entering the labor market.