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Compensation, disability management and return-to-work
Adequacy and Equity of Workers' Compensation Benefits
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of legislative changes (made in 2002) in benefits calculation on the financial circumstances of workers’ compensation beneficiaries. It will investigate the adequacy and equity of wage-replacement benefits provided pre and post legislative change (Bill 49), and will include an analysis on earnings replacement, sociodemographic characteristics, regional differences, and marital formation/dissolution post accident.
| Principal Investigator: | Emile Tompa (Institute for Work & Health, Toronto, Ontario) |
| Co-investigators: | Cam Mustard (IWH), Mieke Koehoorn (University of British Columbia) |
| Funding Awarded: | $163,200 (2 years) |
| Year Funded: | 2006 |
Development and Piloting of an Electronic Format for Carrying out Prosthetic Evaluation using Functional Outcome Measures 
With the array of prosthetic components now available, deciding what is best is challenging, particularly when the cost of technology is a factor. This project will address the key issue of balancing technology choices with prudent financial management. The objective is to develop a standardized functional prosthetic outcomes protocol in an electronic format, thereby providing the ability to evaluate information received on new prosthetic technology in a timely and cost effective manner. The protocol is also intended to determine if the new technology provides measurable improved function and quality of life in proportion to its cost.
| Principal Investigator: | Silvia Raschke (British Columbia Institute of Technology) |
| Co-investigators: | Jason Goodnough (BCIT), Kukuh Noertjojo, Craig Martin (WorkSafeBC) |
| Maximum Budget: | $123,512 |
| Year Funded: | 2008 |
Documenting the Economic and Quality of Life Consequences of Work Injuries for Healthcare Workers in BC
This project aims to quantify the economic and quality of life consequences experienced by injured B.C. healthcare workers and their families. This information can then be used to conduct comprehensive economic evaluations of occupational health and safety initiatives in healthcare that will better integrate workers’ perspectives and properly account for the costs and benefits accrued to workers and their families.
| Principal Investigator: | Jaime Guzman (OHSAH) |
| Co-investigators: | Hasanat Alamgir, Saleema Dhalla (OHSAH), Emile Tompa (IWH), Mieke Koehoorn (UBC) |
| Maximum Budget: | $190,832* (2 years) |
| Year Funded: | 2008 |
*In partnership with the WCB of Nova Scotia
Expectations of Return to Work for Injured Workers with Subacute Back Pain
The aim of this research study is to conduct an exploratory investigation of injured workers’ expectations in relation to return to work in order to identify factors that influence the formation of these expectations. It is anticipated that the findings of this exploration into the construction of expectations will assist in the development of more effective interventions for injured workers who are off work due to non-specific subacute low back pain.
| Principal Investigator: | Richard Young (University of British Columbia) |
| Co-investigators: | Izabela Schultz, Alison Stewart (UBC), Vaughan Marshall (GF Strong Rehab Centre) |
| Maximum Budget: | $30,000* |
| Year Funded: | 2008 |
*In partnership with the WCB of Manitoba
Investigating the Longer-Term Health Consequences of Work-Related Injuries among Youth
Completed
This study will use administrative data to examine the experience of young workers in B.C. and evaluate the longer-term health consequences of being injured on the job. It will specifically investigate whether young WCB claimants use the public health care system more frequently than young non-WCB claimants.
| Principal Investigator: | Mieke Koehoorn (University of British Columbia) |
| Co-investigator: | Curtis Breslin (Institute for Work & Health) |
| Funding Awarded: | $76,068 (2 years) |
| Year Funded: | 2002 |
Long-Term Impact of Western Red Cedar Asthma on Work, Health and Quality of Life
Completed
This study is a follow-up of patients diagnosed in B.C. with Western Red Cedar (WRC) Asthma since 1972. It will examine the long-term impacts of exposure to WRC and provide insights into the effectiveness of protective measures, such as respirators.
| Principal Investigator: | Helen Ward (University of British Columbia) |
| Co-investigators: | Moira Chan-Yeung (University of British Columbia),
Jennifer Wilson (University of British Columbia) Kay Teschke (University of British Columbia) |
| Workplace Partners: | Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers of Canada Weyerhaeuser Company |
| Funding Awarded: | $181,940 (2 years) |
| Year Funded: | 2002 |
Measuring Health Outcomes: An Empirical Comparison of Adaptive and Standard Questionnaires
Completed
This project will develop and evaluate a computerized adaptive questionnaire for measuring health-related quality of life and health utility in patients with back pain.
| Principal Investigator: | Jacek Kopec (Arthritis Research Centre of Canada) |
| Co-investigators: | Maziar Badii (Arthritis Research Centre of Canada) Marcel Dvorak (Vancouver General Hospital) |
| Funding Awarded: | $29,995 |
| Year Funded: | 2003 |
Profiling the Mental Health and Service Utilization of Workers' Compensation Claimants
This study will use administrative data to examine whether WCB claimants
use mental health services differently than non-WCB claimants. It will
also examine whether the treatment provided to injured workers for depression
influences the amount of time lost from work.
| Principal Investigator: | William Gnam (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) |
| Co-investigators: | Mieke Koehoorn (University of British Columbia), Cameron Mustard (Institute for Work & Health), Curtis Breslin (Institute for Work & Health) |
| Funding Awarded: | $110,310 (2 years) |
| Year Funded: | 2002 |
Recurrence of Work-Related Low Back Injuries: The Association between Patient and Administrative Assessment
This study will examine injured workers’ perceptions of low back injury (LBI) recovery and recurrence following a return-to-work, and will determine how these are related to administrative measures of LBI recurrence based on episodes of work disability. The project will establish what injured workers classify as an injury recurrence, allowing development of recurrence measures that are consistent with injured workers’ views.
| Principal Investigator: | Douglas Gross (University of Alberta) |
| Co-investigators: | Radoslaw Wasiak, Amanda E. Young (Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety) |
| Funding Awarded: | $31,000 (2 years) |
| Year Funded: | 2007 |
Training, Dissemination & Evaluation of a Depression Self-care Tool Delivered to Injured Employees
Depression is commonly associated with workplace-related physical injuries and can also have negative effects on recovery, rehabilitation and the return-to-work process. This research attempts to address this issue by developing an implementation strategy for the dissemination and integration of a low-cost, evidence-based self-care guide for depression within an existing Prevention & Early Active Return-to-Work (PEARS) program for injured workers with a primary diagnosis of musculoskeletal injury. It is anticipated that this project will enhance the success of early intervention for workers who have a primary physical health injury.
| Principal Applicant: | Elliot Goldner & Joti Samra (Simon Fraser University) |
| Co-Applicants: | Merv Gilbert (Gilbert Action Org Consulting); Dan Bilsker (VGH); Catherine Fast, Catherine Kidd (VCHA) |
| Maximum Budget: | $50,000 (Innovation) |
| Year Funded: | 2008 |
Workplace Factors that Predict Return to Work in Workers with PTSD
A substantial number of workers who develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) resulting from a traumatic event at work fail to return to work. The goal of this research is to identify factors that impede or facilitate return to work among individuals with work-related PTSD.
| Principal Applicant: | Lynn Alden (University of British Columbia) |
| Co-Applicants: | Michael Anderson, Stephen Flamer (WorkSafeBC); Marci Regambal (University of British Columbia) |
| Maximum Budget: | $47,940 (Innovation) |
| Year Funded: | 2007 |
Workplace Injury Management: Using New Technology to Deliver Physician Education
Completed
The purpose of this project is to develop educational modules for physicians on activity-related soft tissue disorders (ASTDs) and the physician's role in return-to-work; and to evaluate the delivery of these modules in conventional and distance learning formats (video conferencing, web-based training, small group outreach visits, and lectures).
| Principal Investigator: | Harry Karlinsky (University of British Columbia) |
| Co-investigators: | Celina Dunn (WorkSafeBC), Gordon Rumohr (WSBC), Jill Musser (WorkSafeBC) |
| Funding Awarded: | $136,150 (2 years) |
| Year Funded: | 2001 |