Plain-language summaries
Institute for Work & Health (IWH) plain-language summaries condense research findings in various formats. At Work articles explain study results with comments from the study leads. Research Highlights summarize journal articles in easy-to-read, digest formats. Sharing Best Evidence summaries highlight findings from systematic reviews and other types of reviews conducted or led by IWH researchers. Issue Briefings discuss key research findings from IWH or elsewhere on topics that are of particular interest to policy-makers.
At Work article
Change is possible: Ontario youth WSIB claim rate declining
A recent study from the Institute for Work & Health shows that, in Ontario, the youth injury rate is declining more steeply than, and converging with, the adult rate. This shows these injury rates are not static and can be potentially improved through prevention strategies.
Published:
At Work article
Health-Care Rx: Reducing work absences among Canadian nurses
Creating non-violent and supportive health-care workplaces might help prevent prolonged work absences among nurses. This is the upshot of a new study from the Institute for Work & Health.
Published:
At Work article
Researching workplace depression: Where to go from here
More high quality research is needed to determine what types of programs will most effectively address depression in the workplace. But at least we know this type of research is possible.
Published:
At Work article
A tough nut to crack: Understanding no-lost-time claims in Ontario
Ontario’s no-lost-time claims increased from 56 per cent of all accepted claims in 1991 to 68 per cent in 2006, according to new research from the Institute for Work & Health. But it’s too soon to say what’s driving this phenomenon.
Published:
At Work article
IWH tools in action
With workers’ health and safety top of mind, the Institute for Work & Health has developed easy-to-use resources designed for workers, employers, clinicians, and health and safety professionals. With some tools seeing close to 3,000 downloads, it’s an understatement to say that they have struck a chord in the “real world” of work.
Published:
Sharing Best Evidence
Effectiveness of interventions to address depression in the workplace
Little information is available on the effectiveness of workplace programs to target depression. This systematic review set out to provide such information. It searched the research literature to look for interventions for managing depression in the workplace that were effective from an employer's point of view.
Published:
Issue Briefing
Trends in no-lost-time claims in Ontario
The proportion of work-related injuries registered as no-lost-time claims (NLTCs) versus lost-time claims (LTCs) increased in Ontario from 1991 to 2006. Based on research from IWH, this Issue Briefing takes a close look at the characteristics of NLTCs in Ontario and the factors that may help explain their increasing share of workers' compensation claims in the province.
Published:
At Work article
Tapping the tree of knowledge: How Jane Gibson bridged the research-to-action gap
After a decade of leadership, Jane Brenneman Gibson is retiring this summer. She championed the knowledge transfer and exchange department at the Institute for Work & Health from its infancy to its current state: a leader in the field.
Published:
At Work article
The quest for greater flexibility: Creative innovations for workers with arthritis
Arthritis is a leading cause of disability among adults, and it often affects them in the prime of their career. How it’s approached in the workplace can make all the difference, according to a new study by an adjunct scientist at the Institute for Work & Health.
Published:
At Work article
Systematic review looks for KTE evaluation tools
Few well-developed instruments are available to evaluate the implementation and impact of knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) practices. However, some KTE evaluation instruments do hold promise. These are among the key messages stemming from a systematic review led by the Institute for Work & Health.
Published:
At Work article
How workplace policies affect return to work
Organizational policies and practices play a role in whether or not injured workers will return to work and if they will perform well once back at work. A new study from the Institute for Work & Health not only demonstrates this, but also helps explain why.
Published:
At Work article
The "watchful dose": Supporting doctors in the effort to reduce the harms of opioid prescribing
An associate scientist from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) led the creation of the innovative and easy-to-use Opioid Manager. It is designed to help doctors facilitate safe opioid use among patients seeking relief from chronic non-cancer pain, including those recovering from work injuries.
Published:
At Work article
The power of positive thinking: More evidence on patient expectations and return to work
Recent research from the Institute for Work & Health reinforces evidence that patients who are optimistic about recovery following an injury will actually recover and return to work faster than patients who are less optimistic— a finding that should be recognized in case management decisions.
Published:
At Work article
Over-qualified immigrants at risk of poorer mental health
Many recent immigrants end up in jobs for which they are over-qualified, putting them at risk of poorer mental health within a relatively short period of time, according to a recent study from the Institute for Work & Health.
Published:
At Work article
Immigrant worker safety: IWH develops OHS information tool for newcomers
Institute for Work & Health researchers are helping fill a gap in the occupational health and safety system: the need for information tailored to immigrant workers, delivered to them through the services they regularly access at the community level.
Published:
At Work article
Relationship trouble: The role of health-care providers in complex workers’ compensation claims
The interactions among health-care providers, injured workers and workers’ compensation boards can result in problems that delay the return to work of injured workers with complicated claims, according to a recent analysis by Institute for Work & Health researchers.
Published:
At Work article
Looking for good workplace injury stats? Try the emergency department
Workers’ compensation data is typically used to track the performance of workplace health and safety. A recent study from the Institute for Work & Health suggests emergency department records can provide an independent source of reliable information on job-related injuries and illnesses.
Published:
At Work article
Five easy pieces: Easy-to-use tool helps predict back-pain outcomes
A simple, five-question tool has been developed to help front-line doctors identify those patients with back pain who are at risk of severe and long-term functional limitations and, therefore, potentially in need of more aggressive treatment and follow-up.
Published:
At Work article
Assessing the adequacy of workers’ comp benefits for permanently disabled workers
Workers who suffer permanent impairments from a work injury often receive workers’ compensation benefits to replace lost earnings. Just how well three compensation programs provided adequate benefits is the subject of a new Issue Briefing from the Institute for Work & Health.
Published:
Sharing Best Evidence
Finding tools to measure the impact of KTE activities
The effectiveness of current knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) practices has not been routinely or consistently evaluated, in part because of a lack of instruments for assessing the impact of KTE activities. This systematic review searched the literature to find instruments that can accurately and reliably measure KTE activities. Although few were found, some showed promise.
Published: