November 2019: A new paper by PWHS postdoctoral fellow Esther Maas describes patterns of gradual return to work (RTW) among BC workers with work-acquired musculoskeletal disorders.
Published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the study investigates the injury, socio-demographic, workplace and temporal characteristics related to gradual RTW among these workers. Maas analyzed accepted workers’ compensation lost-time claims between 2010 and 2015 using a multivariable logistic regression model identify determinants of gradual RTW.
Within one year after injury, 41% of workers had at least one day of gradual RTW. Serious injury severity, female gender, increasing age, wage, and firm size, longer sickness absence, and recent previous claims increased the proportion of workers being provided with gradual RTW. Consideration of injury, socio-demographic, workplace and temporal variability in the provision of gradual RTW can identify inequalities in the provision and increase effective use of gradual RTW for workers with musculoskeletal disorders.
