Vocational rehabilitation for people with multiple sclerosis: A systematic scoping review of international evidence

by Carlotta Gualco, Erica Grange, Federica Rotondi, Marco Salivetto, Elena Pignattelli, Tommaso Manacorda, Maria Grazia Grasso, Giorgia Presicce, Matilde Inglese, Lorenza Nasone, Paolo Durando, Guglielmo Dini, Benedetta Persechino, Giampaolo Brichetto, Michela Ponzio Introduction People with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) may encounter challenges in their professional lives, due to a combination of environmental and individual factors. According to Escorpizo et al., 2011 framework, Vocational rehabilitation (VR) aims to optimise job participation, providing support in the job access, retention and in the return to work for people with disability.

However, the corpus of research on VR for pwMS is poor. This scoping review aims to map the available literature on VR interventions for pwMS, summarising their characteristics, study designs, implementation features, feasibility, and stakeholders’ perspectives.

Methods Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, seven databases were searched up to October 2025: PubMed, SCOPUS, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Google Scholar, OT Seeker (University of Queensland), and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro).