In this guest post, Progress Physio outlines how recovery after workplace injury depends on more than medical care. Poor communication, mistrust and systemic barriers can delay healing, while strong workplace support, education, positive attitudes and early return to work lead to better outcomes for workers, employers and the wider community.
The Workers Compensation Effect
Work related injuries pose a large problem that affects not only the injured workers, but also their families, colleagues, employers, and the wider community. A worker’s recovery and return to work is influenced by several factors, particularly their interactions with employers, healthcare providers and the workers compensation system. Negative interactions can result in considerable psychosocial consequences for injured workers which may prolong their recovery time.
For example, an injured worker may be concerned that their claim manager or employer isn’t listening to them or isn’t understanding the impact of their injury on their life. This can lead to the development of an adversarial relationship between the two which can have a counter productive influence on recovery.
It is a fact that a greater percentage of people who have compensable injuries have poorer health outcomes compared to people with similar, non-compensable injuries. This ultimately costs the employer due to the resources and time needed to manage the claim, productivity losses due to time off work, reduced productivity upon return to work and the costs of hiring new staff. There is a large administrative burden due to the time taken for communication, traveling to appointments, return to work planning and injury investigations.
Injured workers may also feel like they are continually having to prove the legitimacy of their injury when multiple medical assessments and examinations are required. This can lead to the worker developing a strong sense of injustice, feeling shameful or angry about their injury. Ultimately this prevents the development of a supporting and understanding environment for the workers rehabilitation and recovery.
Psychosocial factors that facilitate a sustainable return to work include:
- Support from leaders and coworkers.
- A shorter length of absence from work.
- Good self-efficacy.
- A positive attitude.
- When a worker is well educated about their injury.
Cultural and language barriers have also been shown to have a negative impact on the recovery process. People with different cultural backgrounds have different beliefs about pain which can influence their attitudes towards their injury and recovery. Training to improve cultural knowledge, skills and attitudes is important for optimising the return-to-work process.
There can never be a one size fits all approach to managing a work-related injury, however being aware of these factors that influence recovery can help facilitate better outcomes for injured workers.
For more information please contact tania@progressphysio.com.au or call (08) 9791 8961.
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