Insurance workers’ and physiotherapists’ perceptions of their roles in the management of workers with injuries in the Western Australian workers’ compensation system

Abstract

Insurance workers and physiotherapists self-perception of their roles differs from external perceptions. This information highlights the importance of a shared understanding of stakeholder roles in the management of a worker with an injury.

Complex return to work process – caseworkers’ experiences of facilitating return to work for individuals on sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders

“…Our findings indicate that the caseworkers experienced a lack of coordination between the different stakeholders, and thus suggest the value of a coordinating service in the RTW process to ensure communication and joint understanding regarding the expectations of all stakeholders. Previous research supports these findings and highlights the need to facilitate interaction between different actors in the RTW process [ 22 , 27 ].…”

“…In several countries, insurance officers may coordinate multiple aspects of a workers compensation claim to facilitate optimal RTW outcomes [21][22][23]. In Norway, follow-up procedures for all sick-listed citizens are administered through caseworkers at the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV).…”

“…Previous research, using both interview and questionnaire data suggests that good treatment from professionals in social insurance settings are crucial for promoting RTW [23][24][25]. Nevertheless, studies has shown that social insurance workers experience challenges in their work including difficult collaboration with other stakeholders, work overload and communication dilemmas [22,26,27]. From the perspective of people on sick-leave, the sickness insurance system may be seen as difficult and unfair [23].…”

“…From the perspective of people on sick- leave, the sickness insurance system may be seen as difficult and unfair [ 23 ]. However, even if social insurance officers are important stakeholders in the RTW process [ 22 , 23 , 28 ], there are few recent studies on the RTW process from the perspective of caseworkers or insurance officers. In addition, to our knowledge, no studies have explored NAV caseworkers’ experiences, with managing RTW for people with MSD.…”