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
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Sharing Best Evidence
Promising KTE evaluation tools
A systematic review of the literature to find tools that effectively measure the impact of knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) activities concluded that few well developed instruments are available to evaluate the implementation and impact of knowledge transfer and exchange practices. However, it did find 16 articles describing instruments that showed promise as useful tools in the evaluation of KTE activities, and references for these are provided here.
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Issue Briefing
The adequacy of workers’ compensation benefits
Workers who suffer permanent impairments from a work injury often rely on workers' compensation benefits to replace lost earnings. But how well are benefit programs fulfilling this role? This Issue Briefing addresses that question.
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At Work article
Cancer Care Ontario: How research evidence helped improve outcomes
Within the span of 10 years, Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) went from an ailing organization to a leading health-care agency. As former CCO head Dr. Terry Sullivan explained at the 2010 Alf Nachemson Memorial Lecture, much of the turn-around can be attributed to a culture of quality improvement tied to research evidence.
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At Work article
Leading indicators may pinpoint positive differences in OHS practices
The Institute for Work & Health is currently conducting a number of studies that may provide important insights on “leading indicators.” The results from these studies will support efforts to improve the way Ontario firms manage their occupational health and safety programs.
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At Work article
Thumbs down: MSK symptoms and hand-held devices
If you use a hand-held device such as a BlackBerry or an iPod, do you experience hand or neck pain? If you answered, “yes,” you’re likely not alone.
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At Work article
At issue: Income security for persons with disabilities in Canada
A more coordinated and client-oriented approach is needed for disability benefit programs in Canada, according to a new Issue Briefing from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH).
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At Work article
Are those who work shifts more at risk of work injury?
The number of Canadians working shifts other than a regular daytime schedule is on the rise. A new study suggests that those who work night or rotating shifts are more at risk of getting injured on the job.
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At Work article
The crystal ball: Predicting return to work following low-back pain
What factors affect how long it will take workers to return to work following an episode of acute low-back pain? A just-completed systematic review from the Institute for Work & Health points to a number of them, including workers’ recovery expectations and their interactions with health-care practitioners.
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Research Highlights
Changing work conditions in three provinces
A study examining changes in work conditions in three provinces between 1994 and 2003-2005 finds lower levels of job satisfaction, lower levels of decision authority and co-worker support, and higher likelihood of rotating shifts and long hours.
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Research Highlights
Changes in physiotherapy use for MSDs highlight inequality of access
Physiotherapy use and costs to treat musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) at a large Ontario workplace increased substantially over a 10-year period. The potential exists for unequal access to physiotherapy services among workers not privately insured or covered by their workplaces.
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Research Highlights
The role of health-care providers in complicated claims
Problematic interactions among health-care providers, injured workers and workers’ compensation boards may delay the return to work of injured workers with complicated claims. The result can be frustration, financial difficulties and mental health problems for injured workers.
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Research Highlights
Ontario youth work injury rate declining more steeply, converging with adult rate
From 1999 to 2007, the lost-time claim rate for young Ontario workers (ages 15 to 24) declined more steeply than the adult rate, and as a result the two rates are converging.
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Research Highlights
Precarious employment may affect worker health
A longitudinal study of a representative sample of Canadian workers finds certain work characteristics are linked with precarious employment and put workers at increased risk of poor physical health.
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Research Highlights
Work absenteeism and recurrent neck pain
A small but important minority—14 per cent—of injured workers experience recurrent neck pain, accounting for 40 per cent of all lost-time days due to neck pain, according to a study of claims made to Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
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