Barriers and facilitators of collaboration during the implementation of vocational rehabilitation interventions: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Stakeholders from the mental health care sector and the social security sector are often involved in the implementation of vocational rehabilitation (VR) interventions, so-called coordinated or integrated program, as clients need support from both fields. Collaboration of the involved stakeholders from both sectors is therefore important. In this study, a review was performed to provide an overview of the barriers and facilitators for collaboration during the implementation of coordinated or integrated vocational rehabilitation interventions. METHODS: A systematic review (PROSPERO ID CRD42023404823) was performed in the databases of Medline PubMed (n = 11.511), Web of Science (n = 4821), and PSYCINFO (n = 368). We used the AI-driven tool ASReview to support the screening process, conducted by two researchers independently. A thematic content analysis was performed to analyse the reported barriers and facilitators. Appraisal of the quality of included studies was conducted using Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). RESULTS: We included 105 of the 11,873 identified articles for full text screening, of which 26 were included for final analysis. Six themes of barriers and facilitators were found: attitude and beliefs, engagement and trust, governance and structure, practical issues, professionals involved, and client-centeredness. We found a reporting quality between 8 and 20, based on CASP. CONCLUSION: We found that a positive attitude towards and belief of those involved in collaboration during coordinated of integrated VR interventions can enhance collaboration. Moreover, a negative attitude or lack of trust, most often found among mental health professionals, hindered collaboration. Collaboration between stakeholders from different sectors could be increased by improving positive attitudes and mutual trust and increasing knowledge about each other's expertise. Also sharing success stories, co-location of professionals, and having a clear governance were found to be a factor in collaborations' success.