Vocational Rehabilitation Job Coaching Based on the Individual Placement and Support Model: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Implementation Study
Abstract
This protocol outlines how vocational rehabilitation job coaching based on the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model is examined using a mixed methods implementation study design. Job coaching targets working-age individuals whose ability to work has been substantially reduced. The goal of this study is to examine job coaching from the following perspectives: client outcomes, service outcomes, implementation outcomes and determinants, and the processes underlying its embedding in practice. Survey and interview data will be collected from different stakeholder groups: clients, job coaches, supervisors, and rehabilitation claims processors. Employing mixed methods and multiple data sources provides a comprehensive understanding of the contextual factors, implementation processes, and perceived meanings associated with this complex vocational rehabilitation intervention. The study is grounded in health services research in rehabilitation and in implementation science to understand how job coaching is conducted and implemented in order to inform decisions about rehabilitation policy and practice. This study addresses a timely need to examine the implementation of evidence-based vocational rehabilitation and to generate knowledge on the application of job coaching to a new target group.
Authors
Riitta Seppänen-Järvelä, Maarit Karhula, Hennariikka Heinijoki
Additional Information
- Peer-Reviewed: yes.
- Open Access: yes.
- Cite as: Seppänen-Järvelä, R., Karhula, M., & Heinijoki, H. (2026). Vocational rehabilitation job coaching based on the Individual Placement and Support model: protocol for a mixed methods implementation study. Front. Rehabil. Sci. 7:1833369. https://doi.org/10.3389/fresc.2026.1833369
