Vocational Rehabilitation

This textbook details vocational rehabilitation. The first section is dedicated to the definition of vocational rehabilitation from the point of view of accident insurance which is responsible for treatment as well as for the loss of earnings and disability pensions. The influence of psychological and cultural factors are also analysed within the context of disability. The role of the general practitioner in the management of a patient with an inability to work is also an important aspect and is largely discussed.

There are two chapters concerning the evaluation of functional capacity and work rehabilitation programs. Among these programs, work hardening and work conditioning are important aspects, which may be influenced by the quality of vocational rehabilitation. The first section concludes with an analysis of the efficacy of vocational rehabilitation in different clinical situations including low back pain, neck and shoulder pain, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, pulmonary and cardiac disturbances and cancer.

The second section of the textbook describes the organisation of vocational rehabilitation in different countries of the European Community, i.e., institutions which are responsible for decisions, payment and strategies related to vocational rehabilitation. This allows the comparison of different policy systems from governmental and private institutions and reveals the problems in creating the best policy system. These problems generally relate to the difficulties in finding financial support for vocational rehabilitation.