{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T23:17:03Z","timestamp":1783639023582,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"Georg Thieme Verlag KG","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Rehabilitation (Stuttg)"],"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n The COVID-19 pandemic had diverse impacts on various aspects of societal\n life. The aim of this study, part of a mixed methods project, was to examine\n how the pandemic affected return to work after medical or vocational\n rehabilitation.<\/jats:p>\n A total of 60 guided interviews and three focus groups were conducted.\n Participants included rehabilitation practitioners, occupational actors, and\n rehabilitees in medical or vocational rehabilitation during the pandemic.\n The collected data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. A\n deductive category system of potential return-to-work factors, structured\n according to the dimensions of the International Classification of\n Functioning, Disability and Health, was applied, and inductive subcategories\n were developed. Each factor was categorized according to its pandemic\n influence.<\/jats:p>\n During the COVID-19 pandemic, rehabilitees experienced health burdens,\n isolation, and limited access to medical treatments. The strained labor\n market led to fears of job loss, terminations, and difficulties in\n reintegration. Workplace barriers included a lack of support and high\n workloads, while leaders perceived as understanding and supportive\n organizational structures facilitated the return to work. In medical\n rehabilitation, reduced capacities and therapy offerings posed challenges.\n Vocational rehabilitation had to be delivered digitally and the transition\n into practical work was aggravated. Overall, factors such as\n self-management, digital literacy, and financial stability influenced return\n to work outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n Even during the pandemic, return to work was shaped by\n \"well-known,\" pandemic-independent factors (e.\u2009g., motivation).\n However, some of these factors gained particular relevance in this context\n (e.\u2009g., health literacy). Additionally, pandemic-specific return to work\n factors emerged (e.\u2009g., infection control measures). In medical\n rehabilitation, pandemic-independent factors such as a lack of work-related\n counseling or uncooperative leadership remained primary barriers to\n reintegration. Vocational rehabilitation, on the other hand, faced greater\n challenges due to the strained labor market and the necessity of digital\n solutions, making pandemic-specific and pandemic-moderated factors more\n impactful.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1055\/a-2858-9471","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T22:42:12Z","timestamp":1783636932000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Return to Work of People With Chronic Health Conditions After Medical\n or Vocational Rehabilitation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Qualitative\n Study"],"prefix":"10.1055","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-2529-1543","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nadine","family":"S\u00e4nger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rehabilitationswissenschaft, Institut f\u00fcr Qualit\u00e4tssicherung in\n Pr\u00e4vention und Rehabilitation (iqpr) GmbH an der Deutschen Sporthochschule K\u00f6ln,\n K\u00f6ln, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1402-1860","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mathis","family":"Elling","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rehabilitationswissenschaft, Institut f\u00fcr Qualit\u00e4tssicherung in\n Pr\u00e4vention und Rehabilitation (iqpr) GmbH an der Deutschen Sporthochschule K\u00f6ln,\n K\u00f6ln, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4767-8244","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christian","family":"Hetzel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rehabilitationswissenschaft, Institut f\u00fcr Qualit\u00e4tssicherung in\n Pr\u00e4vention und Rehabilitation (iqpr) GmbH an der Deutschen Sporthochschule K\u00f6ln,\n K\u00f6ln, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Betje","family":"Schwarz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Rehabilitationswissenschaft, Institut f\u00fcr Qualit\u00e4tssicherung in\n Pr\u00e4vention und Rehabilitation (iqpr) GmbH an der Deutschen Sporthochschule K\u00f6ln,\n K\u00f6ln, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"194","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"855","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-021-06536-3","article-title":"Mortality-related risk factors of COVID-19: a systematic review and\n meta-analysis of 42 studies and 423,117 patients","volume":"21","author":"Z G Dessie","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMC infectious diseases"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1055\/a-1997-5766","article-title":"Lernen von der COVID-19-Pandemie: Handlungsfelder f\u00fcr eine zukunftsf\u00e4hige\n Gestaltung der ambulanten beruflichen Rehabilitation. 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[The \u2018German Job Search Panel\u2019: The effects of unemployment\n and Covid19 on well-being]","author":"G Stephan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Institut f\u00fcr Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.21203\/rs.3.rs-2258311\/v1","article-title":"Work and health during the COVID-19 crisis among Dutch workers and jobseekers\n with (partial) work disabilities: A mixed methods study","author":"M de Visser","year":"2022","journal-title":"ResearchSquare"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3292","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-025-24769-8","article-title":"Return to work for people with chronic health conditions after medical or\n vocational rehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review","volume":"25","author":"N S\u00e4nger","year":"2025","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1685","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apmr.2025.04.001","article-title":"Return to Work After Medical Rehabilitation for Musculoskeletal Disorders in\n Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Cohort Study","volume":"106","author":"J M Elling","year":"2025","journal-title":"Arch Phys Med Rehabil"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1055\/a-2755-0938","article-title":"R\u00fcckkehr in Arbeit nach einer beruflichen Rehabilitation in Zeiten der\n COVID-19-Pandemie: Eine retrospektive Kohortenstudie","author":"M Elling","year":"2025","journal-title":"Rehabilitation"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1245","DOI":"10.1097\/ACM.0000000000000388","article-title":"Standards for reporting qualitative research: a synthesis of\n recommendations","volume":"89","author":"B C O\u2019Brien","year":"2014","journal-title":"Acad Med"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-531-92076-4","volume-title":"Die Qualit\u00e4t qualitativer Daten","author":"C Helfferich","year":"2011"},{"key":"ref24","volume-title":"Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse. 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A qualitative study","volume":"29","author":"J Savard","year":"2021","journal-title":"Support Care Cancer"},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0286819","article-title":"Hindering and enabling factors for young employees with common mental disorder\n to remain at or return to work affected by the Covid-19 pandemic \u2013 a qualitative\n interview study with young employees and managers","volume":"18","author":"M Wallberg","year":"2023","journal-title":"PLoS One"}],"container-title":["Die Rehabilitation"],"original-title":[],"language":"de","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.thieme-connect.de\/products\/ejournals\/pdf\/10.1055\/a-2858-9471.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T22:42:16Z","timestamp":1783636936000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.thieme-connect.de\/DOI\/DOI?10.1055\/a-2858-9471"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]]},"references-count":26,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1055\/a-2858-9471","archive":["Portico","CLOCKSS"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["0034-3536","1439-1309"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0034-3536","type":"print"},{"value":"1439-1309","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]]}}}