Abstract
This review provides a summary of academic studies into employment and well-being outcomes of military personnel who have received battlefield injuries. These articles were systematically identified, but only a small number of papers (13) fulfilled requirements for inclusion; in a large part this was because studies often focus on either health conditions or deployment periods, rather than specifically identifying personnel with battlefield injuries.
We found that return to duty rates were lower for those who underwent amputation subsequent to battlefield injury. Similarly, employment rates for those who left the Armed Forces were generally high but lower for those with major amputations and/or additional physical health needs. Well-being
measures were largely similar to uninjured comparator groups, with some evidence that physical wellbeing is unaffected but mental well-being suffers as a result of battlefield injury; however, the evidence for this is somewhat sparse.
Overall, evidence on this topic was limited. However, studies currently underway, in particular the ADVANCE study, will be able to provide more complete evidence on this topic in a UK context.
We found that return to duty rates were lower for those who underwent amputation subsequent to battlefield injury. Similarly, employment rates for those who left the Armed Forces were generally high but lower for those with major amputations and/or additional physical health needs. Well-being
measures were largely similar to uninjured comparator groups, with some evidence that physical wellbeing is unaffected but mental well-being suffers as a result of battlefield injury; however, the evidence for this is somewhat sparse.
Overall, evidence on this topic was limited. However, studies currently underway, in particular the ADVANCE study, will be able to provide more complete evidence on this topic in a UK context.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 22 |
| Publication status | Published - 2022 |