John Lui

An analysis of evidence-based best practices in the public vocational rehabilitation program: Gaps, future directions, and recommended steps to move forward

As an epilogue to this special issue, this article provides a brief overview of the research undertaken by the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Evidence-Based Practice in Vocational Rehabilitation (RRTC-EBP VR) in Phase II of their studies, and what was learned from the comprehensive review of the literature (e.g., Fleming, Del Valle, Kim & Leahy, 2013) and multi-state case studies in terms of promising practices in state VR agencies (Leahy et al., 2013). Gaps identified in EBP research that hinders the implementation of efficacious, effective, and efficient services based on the best scientific evidence are discussed, and finally, recommendations for future research directions and knowledge translation initiatives that will improve the effectiveness of VR service delivery practices are provided.

Social-cognitive predictors of readiness to use evidence-based practice: A survey of state vocational rehabilitation counselors

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is receiving increased attention from vocational rehabilitation (VR) professionals as the demand for accountability in rehabilitation and healthcare systems expands. The purpose of the current study was to determine the level of understanding VR professionals have of EBP with specific attention to perceived self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, barriers, and readiness to use evidence in current practice. Data were collected from 396 rehabilitation counselors, who were recruited from four state VR agencies. Results indicate self-efficacy and outcome expectancy were positively associated with readiness to use EBP, and agency barriers and personal barriers were negatively related to readiness to use EBP. These social- cognitive predictors accounted for 44% of the variance in the stages of change scores, and outcome expectancy was the most significant predictor after controlling for the effect of perceived self-efficacy and barriers. To increase EBP among rehabilitation counselors, efforts should focus on increasing self-efficacy and outcome expectancy of EBP.

The evolution of disability care and case management: identifying core competencies.

Driven by efforts to control disability costs and encouraged by legislation promoting the accommodation of workers with impairments, disability management (DM) efforts are burgeoning! As these efforts expand, increasing numbers of case managers find themselves practicing in the DM arena.

Evidence-based Best Practices in the Public Vocational Rehabilitation Program that Lead to Employment Outcomes

An introduction and overview of the Special Issue on Evidence-based Best Practices in the Public Vocational Rehabil- itation Program that Lead to Employment Outcomes is provided and briefly discussed.

Roles and functions of benefits counseling specialists: A multi-trait analysis

The purpose of this study is to examine the roles and functions of benefits counseling specialists. One-hundred and forty-eight benefits counseling specialists rated the Benefits Specialists Practice Inventory – Revised using a 5-point importance rating scale. Data were analyzed using multi-trait analysis. The multi-trait analysis tentatively supported the three-factor structure of the Benefits Specialists Practice Inventory – Revised, indicating that benefits screening (M= 4.43, SD= 0.47), benefits advisement (M= 4.49, SD= 0.56), and benefits management (M= 4.07, SD= 0.88) are most central to the job performance of benefits counseling specialists. In addition, benefits counseling specialists in the current study rated themselves as relatively well prepared to perform these benefits counseling job functions, with benefits advisement rated the highest (M= 4.23, SD= 0.76), followed by benefits screening (M= 4.15, SD= 0.70), and then by benefits management (M= 3.75, SD= 0.96). However, multi-trait analysis also suggested that there might be more than three essential job functions for benefits counseling specialists and more comprehensive research in the future is warranted.