The Efficacy of Hand Injuries Rehabilitation Intervention Program That Incorporated Ethnic and Cultural Reference

The study has three main phases. The first phase included A. Adjustment of research tools. Phase B. will examine the efficacy of the cultural intervention. Phase C. Follow-up study will be conducted after three, six, and nine months.

Trauma to the hand is a common and potentially serious injury. Work is central to most adults' occupational identity and is, therefore, a key focus for occupational therapy (OT) intervention. There is substantial evidence that supports the use of OT to target work and its positive influence on Return to Work (RTW) after injury. OT literature shows a shift regarding the awareness of cultural concerns and the broader context in which OT operates. There is currently no high-quality evidence to support the efficacy of rehabilitation programs that enhance RTW in workers with Hand Injury (HI). Aims: The proposed study aims to examine the efficacy of a hand-injuries rehabilitation intervention program that incorporates ethnic-cultural references versus conventional intervention programs. Objective and subjective measures will be used to evaluate personal and environmental aspects and address their influence on readiness to RTW, time to RTW, and, for those who will RTW, employer satisfaction about the worker's performance. Method: The Study has Three Phases: 1. A cross-sectional study to assess internal consistency and test-retest reliability and construct and concurrent validity of the study questionnaires. Study participants: Convenient sample of 60 healthy and 30 HI Palestinian participants will be recruited. Tools: Arabic Work Value Questionnaire (A-Wval), the Arabic Employment Barrier Questionnaire (A-EBQ), the Arabic Return to Work Self-Efficacy-19 (A-RTWSE-19) questionnaire, the Arabic Readiness for Return-To-Work (A-RRTW), Arabic Return-to-Work status questionnaire (A-RTWS), and Arabic Work Behavior Inventory (A-WBI). 2. Matched paired trial design method will be conducted to assess the efficacy of a hand-injuries rehabilitation intervention program that incorporates ethnic-cultural reference versus conventional intervention programs that will improve the participants' functioning in Vocational Rehabilitation(VR) and enhance Time of Return to Work (TRTW). Study participants: 100 HI participants will be first matched in pairs according to gender, age (interval of 5 years), and severity of the injury. Then, each member of a pair will be randomly assigned to the intervention group (IG) and Control Group (CG). 3. Follow-up study after three, six, and nine months.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria: Participants will include people after acute traumatic injuries below the elbow, 16-65 years old, who were employed or functioning as active housewives prior to the injury. All participants will be Palestinian Arabs living in the West Bank

Exclusion Criteria: People with drug/alcohol abuse, central nervous lesions, psychiatric, cognitive or developmental disorder, people with bilateral injury, hand burns, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, brachial plexus lesion, shoulder or elbow problems, complex regional pain syndrome, or any surgery during the study period. People with non-traumatic hand injuries (tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, De Quervain's disease, and Mallet finger) will not be included