Cross-disciplinary collaboration to facilitate return to work following mild traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is defined as a sudden outside force to the brain. It is classified as mild, moderate, or severe, depending on symptoms immediately after the injury, reflecting the extent of damage (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [NINDS], n.d.). Mild TBI (mTBI), a term used interchangeably with concussion, accounts for 90% of all TBIs. Although mTBIs are not typically life threatening, they are often associated with chronic and life-altering symptoms impacting many areas of occupation (Brain Injury Association of America, n.d.; Maas et al., 2022 Theadom et al., 2023). mTBIs regularly result in a short or nonexistent loss of consciousness followed by any combination of symptoms such as blurred vision, nausea, cognitive and behavioral consequences, and sleep disturbances (NINDS, n.d.). Individuals with symptoms lasting more than 3 months, which equates to approximately 5% to 25% of those with mTBIs, have a reduced likelihood of returning to work and have increased early morbidity rates (Graf et al., 2021; Iverson, 2005). Those who do return to work are often less satisfied with their work performance and do not consistently advocate for or benefit from work accommodations (Watkin et al., 2020).