Research Updates

Hannah Bourne

Articles by ‘Hannah Bourne’
Research short: Does job coaching help people find work?

What does the evidence say about the effectiveness of job coaching for people who cannot return to a job with their previous employer?

Health and wellbeing: Take it online and show me the money!

Do online physical activity programs work? And are cash incentives good for motivation?

Do obese workers cost more?

Investigating obesity-related costs for employers.

Kapow! Beating obesity and high blood pressure through workplace intervention

Clear goals and helpful tools ensure that workplace interventions pack a real punch

Treating back pain: when surgery does not make the cut

A review of the effectiveness of non-surgical treatments for chronic low back pain.

Should you put your neck out for exercise

How effective are exercises in treating mechanical neck problems?

Back pain with no explanation is scary

What do people with different kinds of back pain believe about pain and how do these beliefs impact recovery?

What contributes to recurrent back bother?

A look at the workplace factors associated with repeat visits to back pain clinics

Lets get physical, physical!

What makes some people more likely to participate in physical activity than others?

Nurturing case management

Might a more involved approach to the case management of workers with musculoskeletal disorders cost less AND facilitate return to work?

The missing link

Clinicians are good at putting medical pieces of the patient-puzzle in place. What happens when they forget about psychosocial pieces?

Is your arthritis a pain in the back?

This study investigates the link between osteoarthritis in the facet joints of the spine and the presence of low back pain.

Help us help you

How to maximize employee participation in workplace health promotion programs...

Does safety education save backs?

Can workplace back safety education programs reduce the risk of back injuries and complications?

The sick truth

The factors that increase employees number of sick days.

Doctors and back pain: Who you see influences the treatment you get

While some doctors follow best practice guidelines for lower back pain, many get it wrong...

Poor health linked to lower productivity

Why investing in worker health may boost productivity.

Back pain? Stick a needle in it!

Researchers examine the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating chronic low back pain.

Pain or gain

Research shows that health improvement programs are both physically and financially successful.

Assessing workplace productivity losses. Questioning the questionnaires

When looking at the factors which impact upon workplace productivity, we also need to look at the studies that assessed them.

Feeling the pinch - what does sickness cost the employer?

Investigating these costs more thoroughly will enable employers to develop strategies for effectively reducing health costs

Healthy at work

Productivity declines more when unwell people are at work rather than absent.

It is personal

The factors in your private life that may affect your professional one

Ways to whip whiplash

An overview of whiplash injury

Need a hand?

The factors which impact workers with hand injuries returning to work

Screening the future

Clinicians and leading researchers evaluate the effectiveness of early screening in preventing long-term disability in patients with back problems.

Injury blues

What factors increase the risk of injured workers developing depression?

Back pain World Cup

How do different country's disability benefits and policies for occupational low back pain affect return to work rates?

Safety drive

Do health promotion programs improve the health and driving safety of truck drivers?

Vocational rehab: Saving money or lives?

What impact do financial pressures have on the use and effectiveness of vocational rehabilitation for injured workers?

Experimenting with health policy

Occupational health research IS relevant to policy development: but what kinds of research are best?

Low back pain: Which treatments work? - The evidence.

Less invasive treatments should be first port of call for low back pain.

Compensation prolongs whiplash pain

Changes to NSW workers' comp legislation had some interesting outcomes

Whiplash and physical fitness

Do fit people recover from whiplash more quickly?

Multidisciplinary rehab costs $$. Is it worth it?

A comparison of the effectiveness of multidisciplinary rehabilitation and standard care in the treatment of neck and shoulder pain.

It's all in the head: supporting families dealing with traumatic brain injury

Identifying the needs of families caring for someone with a traumatic brain injury.

Preventing unnecessary disability

An overview of the complex factors influencing the return to work of sick and injured workers, and recommendations as to return to work strategies can be improved.

Manners Matter: doctors' behaviour influences return to work and recovery of injured workers

A study looking at factors influencing the return to work and recovery of injured workers in California

School of (back) pain!

Brief, face-to-face education works best for chronic LBP rehabilitation

The simple way to predict RTW outcomes? Ask!

A short survey can predict a worker's RTW outcomes

Physical activity a must for sedentary workers

Contrary to expectations, sedentary workers are more likely than heavy workers to lead inactive lives