Contributor

Lauren Finestone

Articles by ‘Lauren Finestone’
How Medex supports the appropriate use of medication in work injury schemes

Medex Pharmacist Group provides independent pharmacy reviews for the personal injury sector. Their work can improve outcomes for workers and save insurers money.

A story of hope for people living with persistent pain — Part 1: The mind-body connection in back pain

A podcast conversation between Dr. Rangan Chatterjee and Professor Peter O'Sullivan is an important resource for anyone dealing with back pain. Part 1 of our 3-part summary of this conversation...

Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service’s prescription for injury management success

Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service (GCHHS) has enhanced its RTW outcomes and reduced its workers' comp premiums through innovative strategies, leadership engagement and a commitment to...

Collaboration is key in RTW. But what makes it easy or hard to do?

A study suggests some basic conditions are needed for achieving ‘easy’ collaboration between stakeholders supporting people RTW.

How Return to Work SA’s Surgery Assist program is enhancing recovery and RTW — Part 2

Return to Work SA’s approach to supporting injured workers through surgery and recovery is delivering pleasing results.

Small business, big support — a coaching service for mental wellness and business success

Beyond Blue’s New Access for Small Business Owners service (NASBO) is providing valuable mental health support for small business owners struggling with the challenges brought about by work and...

How Return to Work SA’s Surgery Assist program is enhancing recovery and RTW — Part 1

Return to Work SA’s approach to supporting injured workers through surgery and recovery is delivering pleasing results.

Are you aware of your biases? And how can you keep them in check?

Are you aware of your biases? Or are they unconscious? And what does this mean for how you make decisions in workers’ compensation?

Why the right type of conflict can be good for workplaces

We should spend more time not trying to eliminate conflict at work but creating the ‘right kinds of conflict’.

BeHealth — a digital answer to employee mental health challenges

An innovative digital mental health program offers a blueprint for employers keen to support their workers' mental health.

StressModex — the online training for clinicians revolutionising whiplash treatment

At the Research to Real World for Compensable Injury Symposium in June 2024, Professor Sterling spoke about the work she and her team are doing around clinician training in integrated...

The case for empathy — not just a buzzword in workers’ comp

Empathy is not just a buzzword in workers' compensation. It’s a powerful tool that can transform our interactions with and lead to better outcomes for injured workers.

Walking back low back pain

An article in The Conversation covers a study published in The Lancet that found that a program combining walking and education can reduce the recurrence of low back pain.

The role of physiotherapy in certification of capacity for work — the Victorian experience

We summarise a presentation by Paul Coburn at the Research to Real World for Compensable Injury Symposium in June 2024 on the emerging role of physiotherapists in certifying work capacity.

Early intervention in workers’ comp — an overview

A report gives a snapshot of current early intervention practices, experiences and beliefs in workers’ compensation in Australia and what’s improving recovery and RTW outcomes for injured workers....

Navigating whiplash online — does an e-resource help insurers and clinicians?

This is a summary of a presentation by Professor Rebbeck and Dr Carvalho-e-Silva at the Research to Real World for Compensable Injury Symposium in June 2024 about a tool to improve outcomes for...

It’s time to bring a wide-angle lens to understanding pain

Taking a wide-angle view of pain — one that looks beyond the physical to encompass the psychological and the social — can help people live fuller, more satisfying lives.

New guidelines for treating PTSD in emergency workers

New guidelines provide more detailed guidance on how to assess, treat and manage the rehabilitation of emergency workers with PTSD.

A successful RTW pilot takes flight

After a highly successful pilot program to help people get back to work, Comcare is offering the Return to Work Brokerage service for eligible workers with a current Comcare claim.

The power of tiny habits — how small, consistent actions can support injured or ill workers on their RTW journey

By harnessing the science of tiny habits, injured or ill workers can make their RTW journey more manageable, sustainable and successful.

From health tourist to driver — recovery-oriented messages from Professor Peter O’Sullivan

Professor Peter O’Sullivan discusses what he sees as the problems with our current models of healthcare and the key messages he likes to give people who are struggling with back pain.

The positivity prescription for better recovery and RTW outcomes

Having a positive attitude can help recovery and RTW.

The current state of psychological health and safety in the workplace

A Safe Work Australia report paints the most up-to-date picture of workers’ experiences of psychosocial hazards and their outcomes.

‘How I explain common conditions to my patients’ — messages from a chiropractor

Rob Beaven, chiropractor, blogger and host of The back pain podcast, tells us how he explains common musculoskeletal conditions and processes to his patients.

‘You’re speaking my language’ — how to translate research into action and real change

A case study shows how ‘intermediaries’ — like work injury scheme stakeholders — can take the key messages from high-quality evidence and tailor them to improve outcomes in...

Evidence-based messages about self-management

Messages that empower people to self-manage their injuries contribute to better RTW and recovery outcomes.

Workers’ compensation re-imagined from a lived experience perspective — Part 2

What would a workers’ compensation scheme designed by people with lived experience of such claims look like? An innovative research study aims to find out.

The feel-good factor — why your thoughts and emotions matter to recovery

Injured workers will benefit from the message that their thoughts and emotions can affect how well they recover from injury or illness.

Workers’ compensation re-imagined from a lived experience perspective — Part 1

What would a workers’ compensation scheme designed by people with lived experience of such claims look like? An innovative research study aims to find out.

Nine to thrive — the health benefits of work

An important message for healthcare providers to give injured workers is that working is good for their recovery and their health.

Do you know how to develop a return to work plan?

Research shows workers have poorer health outcomes if they are away from work for a long time. A new guide has practical advice and an easy-to-use template to help you plan and implement a...

Messages to help people with back pain get their lives back

Anne’s story compares how positive and negative messages about the body have a huge impact on how they recover from back pain (or not).

When inactivity hurts and movement heals

An important message for healthcare providers to give injured workers is that inactivity is more risky than moving.

Where are we at? — psychosocial risk and regulation in Oz, the UK and the US

How do Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States compare when it comes to regulating and enforcing the management of psychosocial risks and hazards?

Heading mental health injury claims off at the pass

Tips for some proactive strategies organisations can use to address mental health concerns before they escalate and become a workers’ comp claim.

Emotional demands — the invisible forces that influence the experience of work

What are emotional demands in the workplace? And how do they affect workers' well-being? The answer is not black and white.

The power of words in health (Part 3) — 5 tips to shift the way you talk about osteoarthritis

Five suggestions for how clinicians can shift the conversation from an ‘impairment’ to a ‘participatory-based’ approach to osteoarthritis.

The power of words in health — changing the conversation about osteoarthritis (Part 1)

How we talk about health profoundly impacts how we think and act when managing our well-being.

The power of words in health (Part 2) — changing the conversation about osteoarthritis

Clinicians and people with knee osteoarthritis can shift the conversation about osteoarthritis from an ‘impairment-based‘ conversation to a ‘participatory-based’ one.

The personal, the professional and the psychosocial — A conversation with Jacqueline Aguis, ACT Work Health and Safety Commissioner (Part 3)

Jaqueline Agius, the ACT Work Health and Safety Commissioner speaks to RTWM about codes, compliance and the costs of not addressing psychosocial hazards.

The personal and the professional — A conversation with Jacqueline Agius, ACT Work Health and Safety Commissioner (Part 1)

Jaqueline Agius, the ACT Work Health and Safety Commissioner, speaks to RTWM about the personal incident that informs her work and the messages we teach young people about violence if we don’t...

The personal, the professional and the psychosocial — A conversation with Jacqueline Aguis, ACT Work Health and Safety Commissioner (Part 2)

Jaqueline Agius, the ACT Work Health and Safety Commissioner speaks to RTWM about the work the regulator is doing to help businesses address psychosocial hazards.

WorkSafe ACT’s Psychosocial Maturity Indication Tool — in a nutshell

RTWMatters speaks to WorkSafe ACT about their Psychosocial Maturity Indication Tool

Work's wellness factor — the challenges of involuntary loss of work

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald about the emotional toll of involuntary retirement reminds us that being out of work for any reason — if we don't have control over the decision — is bad...

Tipping points — are psychosocial hazards present in your workplace?

Four groups of psychosocial hazards leaders need to look for, and what they can do practically to support their teams.

Tools to assess psychosocial safety in your workplace

Free psychosocial risk assessment tools can be a valuable starting point for organisations that are looking to address psychosocial risks in the workplace.

Building a culture of 'and' — balancing cultures of care and legal compliance for workplaces to flourish

Complying with laws ensures a baseline level of safety. But people and teams do, and feel, better in workplaces that foster cultures of care alongside mitigating risk.

From hammer to toolbox — psychological safety is important, but not the only solution to workplace well-being

‘Psychological safety’ is not the only aspect of psychosocial risk management that's needed for holistic and sustainable workplace improvements.

Speak up cultures — how leaders can build healthy and supportive work environments

A Harvard Business Review article gives leaders some practical tips to create positive work environments, behaviours and interactions.

Screening for risk — a ‘holy grail’ in workers' compensation claims

In a talk recorded for the It Pays to Care Biopsychosocial Symposium, Associate Professor Ross Isles suggests some important guidelines for better results in managing workers' compensation claims....

Navigating the counterintuitive road to recovery after musculoskeletal injury

An article written for orthopaedic surgeons about what they can do to help patients’ recovery holds some interesting insights for all health professionals who work with injured workers.

Psychological safety in the workplace — Part 1: moving beyond risk assessment and compliance

To create psychologically safe workplaces, leaders need to go beyond just assessing risk and focus on leveraging existing strengths to eliminate or reduce these risks.

Psychological safety in the workplace — Part 2: bridging the ‘safety gap’

Research shows there's often a gap between the psychosocial support leaders say they’re providing and the hazards team members report they are experiencing. Why is this so? And what can we do to...

Can you hear that sound? It’s the wake-up call for employers to manage psychosocial hazards

The era of prioritising mental health and psychological safety in the workplace has arrived. There’s been a transformative shift in what employers are expected to do to manage psychosocial hazards...

From duty to action — how to comply with the law to ensure psychosocial safety

Managing psychosocial hazards in the workplace is an important responsibility for employers, particularly human resources managers. What laws apply? And what things should employers consider?

Upping the ante — what the new model code of practice expects of employers

What exactly does Safe Work Australia’s new model code of practice, Managing psychosocial hazards at work expect of employers?

Psychosocial safety qu'est-ce que c'est? Fa-fa-fa-fa, fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa, better *

What is ‘psychosocial safety’? And how does it fit in with legal developments in the area of workplace health and safety?

Is your organisation ready for regulatory change? — the ‘what’ of psychosocial risk assessment and control

This is Part 1 of a 2-part article that summarises a presentation by Professor Angela Martin at the 2022 Workplace Mental Health Symposium. It looks at the ‘what’ about how organisations can...

Is your organisation ready for regulatory change? — the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of psychosocial risk assessment and control

This is Part 2 of a 2-part article that summarises a presentation by Professor Angela Martin at the 2022 Workplace Mental Health Symposium. Part 1 dealt with the ‘what’ about how organisations can...

Managing psychosocial triage and intervention — challenges and considerations

In a recorded presentation for It Pays to Care Symposium on early psychosocial screening and matched care, Associate Professor Ross Iles highlights key challenges and considerations when it comes...

Holding the torch higher — the social realities of self-management

Self-management is not just about individual efforts. It's shaped by social factors and the interactions between patients and healthcare professionals

Self-management of ongoing pain — ideal but still elusive

By combining psychology-based skills with traditional pain management approaches healthcare providers can offer their patients a more comprehensive approach to managing pain.

‘Even the lone ranger had Tonto’ — the unintended consequences of pain self-management

Dr Karen Rodham, Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology at the University of Chichester, cautions against the ‘blame, shame and inflame game’ of self-management.

A WISE adaptation of a success story — Australia Post’s Early Matched Care Program (Part 1)

Melanie Ianssen, Head of Rehabilitation at Australia Post, describes how that organisation adapted the WISE study to improve RTW outcomes for their injured workers.

A WISE adaptation of a success story — Australia Post’s Early Matched Care Program (Part 2)

Melanie Ianssen, Head of Rehabilitation at Australia Post, describes how that organisation adapted the WISE study to improve RTW outcomes for their injured workers. What were the results?

From pain to possibility — the role of resilience in long-term pain management

Some science-backed, practical things you can do to help people you work with ‘bounce forward’ from their experience of living with persistent pain.

‘We started with bananas’ — self-managing the culture of a small business

One of the rewarding things about having a self-managed company can be empowering workers to reach their full potential and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive. A small business owner...

The vicious cycle of pain and anxiety — and how to tame the anxious wolf

Practical evidence-based tips for dealing with pain-related anxiety, or helping someone else deal with it.

EAST-ern medicine — how behavioural science can help people self-manage their health and wellbeing

A guide about what drives our behaviour can help people living with long-term conditions and those who support them get started (and stay) on a journey of self-management. It can also help prevent...

A new guide to help primary care practitioners treat people with low back pain

There's a new guide for primary care practitioners who work with people with low back pain.

Job crafting — another way to self-manage long-term pain problems

Self-management of long-term pain conditions doesn’t just mean doing things to manage the physical symptoms of the condition. It can also involve other ways to improve overall quality of life —...

Managing musculoskeletal conditions at work (Part 3) — your legal rights and responsibilities

A legal expert talks about rights and responsibilities at work if someone has musculoskeletal condition.

Managing musculoskeletal conditions at work (Part 2) — 6 steps to a job change

For some people with back pain or other musculoskeletal conditions, self-management may mean finding a different job. An occupational rehabilitation consultant sets out 6 steps to successfully...

Threading the needle (Part 1) — tips for managing RTW for injured or ill workers

Safework Australia's new guide helps supervisors in small and medium businesses tread the tricky path of managing RTW for ill or injured workers.

Threading the needle (Part 2) — tips for managing RTW for injured or ill workers

Safework Australia has a guide helps supervisors in small and medium businesses tread the tricky path of managing RTW for ill or injured workers.

From the inside out — behaviour change tips and techniques to manage osteoarthritis

Behaviour change techniques to overcome the challenges of trying to stick to a management plan.

Managing musculoskeletal conditions at work (Part 1) — breaking the boom and bust cycle

A musculoskeletal physiotherapist talks about what pain is, ‘boom and bust behaviour’, activity pacing, making a flare-up plan and other useful self-management tips.

Pain sites — the best self-management podcasts and websites

We’ve created a list of the best evidence-based websites and podcasts to help people with chronic pain — and the healthcare practitioners and RTW professional who help them — manage their...

From dictator to facilitator — reframing the role of therapists in patient care

We’ve been discussing the role of physiotherapy in self-management for decades – how much progress have we made?

Return to work is everybody’s business — how everyone can be part of the solution

Catherine Day, Director of Employer Supervision and Return to Work at SIRA, outlines SIRA's work to improve declining RTW rates in NSW

The ‘Four Cs’ of supporting workers with long Covid symptoms return to work

Thousands of workers with long Covid are, and will continue to be, exploring return to work. Dr Dominic Yong, a senior occupational physician with the Victorian Department of Health, provides tips...

‘Be more human, think like a customer’ — the importance of empathy and connection in case management

When injured workers reflect on their workers' comp claims experience, it's how their claims manager made them feel, not what they told them, that they remember. QBE’s Customer Excellence Program...

Words, language and collaboration matter in returning to ‘good work’

Four experts discuss the idea of ‘good work’ and how collaboration can achieve better outcomes for injured workers.

IMEs as forces for healing, not harming — Part 1: case managers

Independent medical examinations are one of many factors in our compensation system that can enhance or impede workers’ recovery and RTW. There are things that case managers can do to swing the...

IMEs as forces for healing, not harming — Part 2: healthcare providers

Independent medical examinations are a healthcare issue that contributes to poorer outcomes for injured workers. What does the research say about how healthcare providers can make a positive...

Comcare’s management of IMEs — the Commonwealth Ombudsman takes a look

The Commonwealth Ombudsman’s investigation into Comcare’s management of IMEs addresses reports of unreasonable and unethical behaviour and offers up suggestions for improvement.

Recovery at home — the overARChing intent of an innovative rehab model

An innovative technology-supported model of rehabilitation takes remote therapy to another level. And achieves impressive results for injured workers.

Challenges and opportunities — the lie of the land through the eyes of RTW Coordinators

What challenges do RTW Coordinators face? And what training and other needs do they have to do their jobs with confidence?

Telerehabilitation for spine pain in the lockdown era — not the same, but better

Telerehabilitation on pain and disability in patients with spine pain achieved more improvement than 'hands-on' treatment.

New clinical care standard for low back pain — a story of hope

The new Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard aims to make sure patients with this common condition get the best outcomes.

Get out the barometer — your organisation's psychosocial safety climate predicts RTW

Senior management teams can be ‘psychosocial safety climate’ engineers.

What happens to workers when their long duration compensation claims stop?

In a study, one in 4 workers with long-duration workers compensation claims moved onto Centrelink payments after workers’ compensation benefits stopped — or 1 in 2 if their payments stopped...

Caring for people with chronic musculoskeletal pain — a paradigm shift to solve a 'super wicked problem'

A new approach to manage chronic musculoskeletal needs many scheme participants to commit to a ‘paradigm shift’.

Regulation toolkit: encouragement, engagement and upskilling as a way to influence RTW

Regulators can constructively influence our work injury scheme through encouragement, engagement and skilling up the industry.

Regulation toolkit: compliance as a way to influence RTW

Workers get the bad press, but other scheme participants behave in ways that are unethical. This article looks how regulators can constructively influence our work injury scheme through their...

'Above all, do no harm'. Towards a therapeutic approach to workers’ compensation.

Is the concept of ‘Above all, do no harm’ relevant to our workers compensation schemes?

RTW: from policy to practice — union views from the coalface

Three union advocates give us their insights into the factors that can help improve RTW outcomes for workers, particularly those with psychological injuries.

Work-focused health care: practical suggestions for how to do it

Practical suggestions for how physiotherapists and other healthcare practitioners can provide ‘work focused healthcare’ to help the worker and the workplace.

10 common unhelpful beliefs about low back pain, and 10 facts to set us straight

10 common and unhelpful myths about low back pain, and 10 facts that bust them.

‘Self-management’ of chronic musculoskeletal pain: what patients say helps them do it (or not)

Patients are encouraged to ‘self-manage’ their chronic pain conditions. But there are external and personal factors that will either help or hinder their ability to do this. And healthcare...

IRRI-sistable (Part 1) — WorkCover Queensland’s Injury Risk Reduction Initiatives improve outcomes for all

RTW practices are a team sport. WorkCover Queensland’s Injury Risk Reduction Initiatives show what can be done when injury scheme players work collaboratively to reduce the barriers to recovery...

IRRI-sistable (Part 2) — tipping the scales towards fewer workplace mental health injuries

In Part 1 we introduced IRRI — WorkCover Queensland’s Injury Risk Reduction Initiatives. In this follow up article we look specifically at some of the projects that target workplace mental health,...

‘Workers’ what?’ Information about workers’ compensation falls short

What do we know about how workers access, understand and engage with information about workers compensation, return to work and health literacy? A recent report commissioned by Safe Work Australia...

In the hands of the gods? Spinal injuries from a worker’s perspective

A ‘recovering interventional spine physiatrist’ makes the case for spine clinicians paying more attention to what patients know and say about their low back pain.

Did you know? We have principles that help GPs in their role to support work participation

The ‘Principles on the role of the GP in supporting worker participation’ provide guidance to GPs and other work injury scheme participants on how they can work together to support workers’...

RTW: from policy to practice. Is your organisation ready for change?

Implementing evidence-based interventions to improve how we care for workers is not easy. Are there things we can do in our organisations to create the conditions that support ‘organisational...

RTW: from research to practice. The ‘know-do gap’ through a complex systems lens

In our ongoing quest to find ways to translate research into practice in our work injury schemes, we ask ‘What we can learn from complexity thinking?

The role of general practitioners in worker rehabilitation — insights from the research

General practitioners clearly play a critical role and we ask them to do a lot in a complex environment with multiple stakeholders. What is their experience of the work injury insurance system in...

Claims intake at WorkCover Queensland — Insights from the introduction of a biopsychosocial framework

A partnership between researchers and a workers compensation insurer (WorkCover Queensland) is an example of what can be done when evidence informs practice.

RTW: from policy to practice. An imperative for change and call to action

An important policy paper — It pays to care — calls for a conversation about, and action on, how we can work together to improve health and recovery outcomes and reduce the barriers to care for...

RTW: from policy to practice. How to make change happen

The 'It Pays to Care' report calls for change in our work injury schemes, but recognises that change is hard, even when we know what we need to do. One model that looks at ‘organisational...

‘An epidemic of useless and often harmful care’ — Part 1

Our standard pathway of care in injury management leads to low value care and over-investigation, over-diagnosis and over-treatment. Dr Mary Wyatt, Occupational Physician, presents some ideas to...

The power of choosing our mindset

Tips to help develop a mindset that builds resilience and helps us deal with challenging situations.

‘WorkWell: Preventing mental injury and promoting mental health’

There are 11 work-related factors that employers must identify and manage to prevent mental injury and promote safe and mentally healthy workplaces.

What do we know about secondary psychological conditions after a physical work injury?

How can we better to identify and support workers who are risk of developing secondary psychological conditions, and prevent them from occurring in the first place?

‘I can do that’ — how building self-efficacy can support workers return to work

How to help build self-efficacy — tips for supporting a worker who may have lost confidence after being away from work.

'I want to do that' — the importance of autonomy, competence and relatedness

We all have 3 basic psychological needs that must be fulfilled if we are to do well and feel good at work. What are they?