Health practice and management

Health-care providers and health-care services play an important part in the return to work (RTW) of injured workers and in disability management processes at workers’ compensation boards in Canada. IWH research supports front-line health-care practitioners—including primary care physicians and allied health-care professionals, who support or treat workers with injuries and illnesses that affect their ability to work.

Featured

A group of physician's sitting in a room, prepared to take notes.
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, understandin
Published: July 26, 2023
Research Highlights
Research Highlights

Five non-surgical neck pain treatments work equally well

A study of five non-surgical treatments for neck pain — nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Cox-2 inhibiting NSAIDs, exercise, mobilization, and manipulation — found no one treatment option for neck pain was found to be clearly superior when both benefits and harms were considered.
Published: November 2008
At Work article
At Work article

Systematic review finds little evidence in support of back belts

Is wearing a back belt really effective in preventing and/or reducing occupational low-back pain? According to a new systematic review by researchers at the Institute for Work & Health, there is limited evidence to support their use.
Published: February 2006
Research Highlights
Research Highlights

Is traction effective in treating low-back pain?

Based on current evidence, traction as a single treatment is not effective for patients with low-back pain, with or without sciatica. However, there are very few high-quality studies in this field.
Published: January 2006