News

Insights into workers compensation rehabilitation

UCRH researcher Associate Professor Vanette McLennan is among a group of academics who have conducted a review of existing studies regarding non-medical assessment during the acute phase of rehabilitation in terms of costs, disputes, secondary psychological injury, and worker participation.

Their work recognises that rates of return to work (RTW) are declining in the Australian workers compensation system alongside significant economic and social costs, disputes, and secondary psychological injury. Non-medical assessment of workplace injuries now considers psychosocial and workplace factors, and worker participation in the assessment process is limited.

A journal article outlining their work, Injured worker participation in assessment during the acute phase of workers compensation rehabilitation: a scoping review, has been published in Disability and Rehabilitation.

Among their findings, the authors noted that rehabilitation professionals should seek out ways to increase participation of injured workers in assessment of their support needs and that aarly assessment of injured workers is a key aspect of the rehabilitation process and there have been calls for greater injured worker involvement in their rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation professionals should consider an injured worker’s phase of disability when conducting assessment for support needs and consideration of psychological vulnerabilities of injured workers should be incorporated into assessment of support needs.

Read the full publication here.