Health practice and management

A systematic review on early opioid prescription for MSDs and work disability finds a consistent link with longer work disability. However, review authors urge caution in drawing a conclusion about cause and effect.

Published: February 2018

Published: Clinical Journal of Pain, July 2017

Healthcare providers who treat injured workers with multiple injuries and complex illnesses find the workers’ compensation system and return-to-work (RTW) process “opaque and confusing.” That's one of the findings from a two-year, multijurisdictional study by the Institute of Work & Health (IWH).

Published: OHS Canada, February 2017

Case managers and health-care professionals share their thoughts about doctors' role in the workers' compensation system.

Published: February 2017

Research around the world has shown that health-care providers have a key role in the return-to-work (RTW) process. However, pressure on consultation time, administrative challenges and limited knowledge about a patient’s workplace can thwart meaningful engagement. In a two-year study conducted in four Canadian provinces, Dr. Agnieszka Kosny focused on the experiences of health-care providers within the workers’ compensation system and their role in the RTW process. She shares her findings in this plenary.

Published: February 2017

The Toronto Star interviews Dr. Agnieszka Kosny about the findings of her study on the role of health-care providers in workers' compensation and return-to-work.

Published: The Toronto Star, January 2017

Health-care providers play an important role in the return to work of injured workers, yet research suggests they sometimes struggle with this responsibility. This executive summary provides an overview of the findings of a study on health-care providers' experiences in return to work and in working with workers' compensation systems.

Published: December 2016

Health-care providers play an important role in the return to work of injured workers, yet research suggests they sometimes struggle with this responsibility. This report shares the findings of a study on health-care providers' experiences in return to work and in working with workers' compensation systems. It also suggests practices and policies that may help clarify the role of health-care providers and make workers’ compensation systems easier to navigate for all stakeholders.

Published: December 2016

Physicians have an important role in the return to work (RTW) process, but research shows that they sometimes struggle to manage RTW consultations and help patients return to work after an injury. As part of a broader exploration into the role played by doctors in RTW, an IWH team led by Dr. Agnieszka Kosny sought to examine resources, policies and guidelines that have been developed for physicians by workers’ compensation boards, governments and other organizations across Canada. In this plenary, Kosny highlights resource gaps that may hinder physicians’ understanding of their roles and responsibilities in the workers' compensation system and RTW process, and which may ultimately delay workers’ RTW after injury.

Published: November 2016

In its 20th anniversary year, the DASH Outcome Measure continues to be used in ever broader contexts.

Published: April 2016