Health-care sector
IWH research that specifically involves health-care workplaces, workers, unions, employers and/or associations, as well as research on programs that specifically target the health-care sector, is collected together here. Not included here is IWH research that cuts across all or many sectors, even though it may be relevant to the health-care sector. For this reason, visitors are encouraged to explore beyond this page to find equally important information on the prevention of work injury and disability in health care.
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Participatory approach to health and safety in long-term care
Involve front-line staff when identifying and controlling hazards at long-term care homes. Those who do a job every day know the associated hazards best. A participatory approach can help prevent injuries.
Published: October 2, 2019
Journal article
Journal article
Developing a core outcome set for foot and ankle disorders in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: a scoping review and report from the OMERACT 2022 foot and ankle special interest group session
Published: Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, August 2023

Research Highlights
Primary care physicians’ learning needs in returning ill or injured workers to work
While primary care physicians play an important role in helping ill and injured workers return to work (RTW), they have a variety of learning needs about how to best navigate the RTW process. These needs fall in the areas of completing administrative tasks, challenging personal beliefs, understanding specific RTW issues and learning about available RTW services and tools.
Published: July 2023
Journal article
Journal article
Centrally acting ACE inhibitor (cACEi) and angiotensin receptor blocker (cARB) use and cognitive dysfunction in patients with SLE
Published: Lupus Science & Medicine, July 2023
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Journal article
Scaling up quality-assured psychotherapy: the role of therapist competence on perinatal depression and anxiety outcomes
Published: General Hospital Psychiatry, July 2023
Journal article
Journal article
Updating the know your chances website to include smoking status as a risk factor for mortality estimates
Published: JAMA Network Open, June 2023
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Journal article
Psychometric testing of the British English Workplace Activity Limitations Scale in four rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions
Published: Rheumatology Advances in Practice, March 2023
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Journal article
Post-switch effectiveness of etanercept biosimilar versus continued etanercept in rheumatoid arthritis patients with stable disease: a prospective multinational observational study
Published: Advances in Therapy, October 2022

Research Highlights
Getting the message right: strategies to improve return-to-work communication
Communication is central to disability management—especially in large and complex organizations where multiple parties are involved in the return-to-work process and inconsistent practices can add to communication challenges. Workplace stakeholders in large and complex organizations use key strategies to effectively communicate about RTW. They include communicating messages of support, correctly timing RTW communication, carefully wording messages, framing messages and tailoring messages for individual workers.
Published: July 2022

Research Highlights
Working conditions for Greater Toronto Area personal support workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Personal support workers (PSWs) faced a range of challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including concerns of contracting or transmitting the virus, reduced work hours and income, loss of childcare services and lack of paid sick leave. While the pandemic highlighted the importance of the PSW workforce to the Canadian health-care system, pre-existing poor working conditions—in particular, insecure jobs with few benefits—exacerbated COVID-19-related work experiences.
Published: July 2022
Journal article
Journal article
Implementing the Total Worker Health program in a shared governance context
Published: Journal of Emergency Nursing, July 2022