Graded work exposure to promote work return after severe hand trauma: a replicated study.

Fifty-one patients with posttraumatic stress disorder after work-related hand injuries were placed on a graded work exposure program to facilitate return to work. These patients consisted of an initial group of 25 patients and a replication group of 26 patients. The program returned 92% of the initial group and 88% of the replicated group to work with their previous employers. At 6-month follow-up, 88% of the initial group and 80.1% of the replication group were still working full-time at the jobs to which they had returned. All of the patients not working with their previous employer at follow-up had appraisal/projected flash-backs, which have previously been associated with a 90% failure to return to work. This intervention was successful with 73% of the patients experiencing such flashbacks. In conclusion, graded work exposure was an effective treatment to promote return to work for patients experiencing significant psychological symptomatology after severe hand injury.