Modifiable and non-modifiable factors associated with employment outcomes following spinal cord injury: A systematic review.

AbstractContextEmployment rates in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) are approximately 35%, which is considerably lower than that of the general population. In order to improve employment outcomes a clear understanding of what factors influence employment outcomes is needed.ObjectiveTo systematically review factors that are consistently and independently associated with employment outcomes in individuals with SCI, and to understand the magnitude of their influence.MethodsThrough an electronic search of MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Social Science Abstracts and Social Work databases, we identified studies published between 1952–2014 that investigated factors associated with employment outcomes following SCI. Exclusion criteria included: (1) reviews (2) studies not published in English (3) studies not controlling for potential confounders through a regression analysis, or (4) studies not providing an effect measure in the form of OR, RR, or HR. Data were categorized based on the Internat...