Case management for recovery and return to work
There's a close link between injured worker perceptions of their case manager and return to work outcomes. The resources on this page explain evidence-based case management practices, covering emotional labour, time management, common pitfalls, positive communication and other effective strategies.
The evidence for and against some of the most common treatments for shoulder and elbow pain.
To help an employee return to work after a stress claim, our ten tips start with proactivity and...
Getting back to work after illness or injury can be daunting. Stick to our top ten, however, and...
Who has control over organising modified duties in your workplace - and what are the pros and...
The basics of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and how it can be used to resolve difficult RTW cases.
RTW motivation can be hard to muster...Unless you've had your dose of the RTWMatters...
Rosemary McKenzie-Ferguson and Gabrielle Lis
Workers struggle to listen and be heard. How does this affect them?
This comprehensive guide to helping workers with back pain will have you donning lycra in no time...
This final instalment provides tips for helping anxious employees maintain their cool and remain...
Spine surgeons who've had spinal surgery provide the know-how for this briefing paper on...
Don't send yourself--or your worker--to the dogs! Fair in-house systems can keep claims out of...
We consider why doctors fail to communicate well about return to work, and offer strategies for...
Understanding musculoskeletal pain will increase productivity and health.
Understanding how distress interferes with recovery is the key to addressing difficult RTW cases.
Despite growing perceptions that workplace activities cause and complicate injuries, the...
Sometimes compensation systems, not injury, deliver the knock out blow. Don't let that happen to...
Stress makes chronic pain worse, and worsens RTW outcomes. Here are 10 ideas to help alleviate...
Getting the information you need to facilitate RTW shouldn't be as painful as pulling teeth -...
Passive. Aggressive. Assertive. How does your professional communication style affect your...
Know what you want from people at work, but not how to get it? Learn how to talk the talk, and...
In pain, low in confidence, and down at heart: it can be a hard slog to get back into the...
Gabrielle Lis and Dr Mary Wyatt
People who believe they've been treated unfairly have lower functional ability than those who...
Back pain accounts for a large proportion of injury claims, and a higher proportion of long term...
Scott Sanderson and Gabrielle Lis
Don't just hear the words, listen to them. These five steps to becoming an active listener will...
Make a big difference by assisting employees who've decided on surgery
Help workers understand the options and outcomes
Picking up a long-term case for the first time can seem daunting. Here are a series of steps to...
Picking up a long-term case for the first time can seem daunting. Here are a series of steps to...
Have a look at this letter from an employee of one workplace doing fantastic things for injured...
In which we - and injured worker Ms W - learn that 'C' is for 'Cognitive,' and that thoughts...
In which we - and injured worker Ms W - learn that when you change your behaviour, you also...
In which we ask: Who would benefit from CBT? How can you broach the subject of therapy in the...
Ever wondered what RTW and sabre-toothed tigers have in common? Or why some people bounce back...
When one part of the system underperforms, the others follow suit.
Successful surgery starts with the best decision about whether surgery should be performed.
Psychological or mental health claims are a fast growing liability for most compensation...
This webinar explores how doctors determine a person's work capacity.
This webinar explores how RTW Coordinators and Claims Managers can communicate effectively with...
Dr Mary Wyatt and Stefanie Garber
Workers' compensation is plagued by low trust levels - increasing goodwill in the system could...
Dr Mary Wyatt and Stefanie Garber
People respond to positive acts with positive deeds of their own. Increased positive experiences...
Information on knee cartilage disorders, their treatments and a case study.
What is workplace bullying? How common is bullying? What forms does bullying take? How does...
Taking a long-term preventative approach to bullying is cheaper and more effective than reacting...
Flow charts detailing shoulder pain treatment
Telephonic methods can be used to assess the clinical and work participation needs of people...
Understanding the difficulties everyone faces with musculoskeletal problems can help you help...
In response to a reader's questions, our resident Occ Phys explains how to encourage a proactive...
Workers' comp cases present GPs and other health professionals with opportunities for meaningful...
Occupational physiotherapy expert Paul Coburn explains the principles of good physiotherapy and...
Are the latest sales and marketing techniques an untapped resource in return to work?
Building immediate rapport in return to work can turn adversary into ally.
Getting ready for psychological claims - change the story
Real influence is when you build from agreement, not from conflict; to align and lead rather...
Physiotherapist Harry Papagoras discusses how medical certificates can be used to identify...
What does it mean and how to make the most of it.
This case study explores the importance of providing options for the injured worker's return to...
Michael was a 48-year-old machine operator. He had been at the workplace for nine months. During...
When a worker is injured, there might be fears for their job stability, financial burdens, or...
Dr Mary Wyatt explores the role of the IME in assessing work capacity for injured or ill employees.
Prehabilitation is an approach to aid people recover from surgery and increase the likelihood of...
This panel discussion explores physiotherapy strategic approaches to improve return to work and...
Lodging a psycological injury claim in Australia is a scary business, and the scarier it is...
3 key principles of communication you can start using immediately to speed up your RTW outcomes
This webinar explores evidence on how supervisors and coworkers can influence RTW, and how to...
Delays and disputes are stressful and can have a negative impact on recovery and return to work....
Meeting your duties under the work health and safety laws.
Shoulder problems are the second most common work-related musculoskeletal problem. Here's an...
Lara felt bullied by her case manager and colleagues when she returned to work - even when they...
Sometimes a person's capacities exceed their own sense of what they can safely do. What is the...
Workers' compensation systems can leave clients feeling betrayed. This sense of unfairness may...
'Learned helplessness' is the idea that some people who experience repeated setbacks will...
Have you ever been told you are a poor listener? Maybe you have, but you weren't paying...
Well-chosen questions can give injured workers - and frustrated RTW professionals - renewed...
Unresolved workplace conflict can prevent RTW, so RTW professionals need to know how to...
Mary Wyatt, using a Safe Work Australia report
Results from the national Return to Work Survey show the strength and consistency of workplace...
Our recent survey responses highlighted the number of ways that RTW Matters content is being...
To be heard is a powerful experience, and for your claimant it will make them feel safer, more...
Ever wondered why some musculoskeletal injuries don't resolve as quickly as they should?
A good decision making process is worth its weight in platinum, making this a key read for...
Another must read for claims / case managers: how you cannot afford to get it wrong, and how you...
The bad news: according to workers, positive interactions with insurers are few and far between....
What works and what does not work in the decision making process. A must read for claims / case...
When interactions with insurers are negative, workers’ compensation claimants describe serious...
In workers’ compensation systems across the world, injured workers describe predominantly...
Trust, efficiency, senior management involvement and the all-important connection between the...
Gabrielle Lis and Dr Mary Wyatt
Is "bad medicine" delaying RTW at your organisation? This top ten will help sweeten your...
Dr Robyn Horsley gives us ten tips for great communication with the treating doctor.
Delaying contact with workers who’ve claimed for psychological injury can delay return to work....
Building social capital costs little but the potential benefits are priceless.
A quick guide to the advantages and basic techniques of active listening.
A sense of unfairness may lead to worse health outcomes for injured workers.
There is a correlation between compensation and poorer surgical outcomes. What can be done?
Medical assessments of work capacity are not always defined by what a worker is capable of....
This webinar expands on the previous presentation on independent medical assessment basics.
We respond to a Return to Work Coordinator's query about resolving problems between employers...
Listen to musculoskeletal physiotherapist, Dr. Jon Ford, talk about how practitioners can help...
Dr Wyatt dug into the data on the outcomes and experiences of Australian workers who lodge...
Knowing when injury reports should be made and how they should be dealt with can reduce the pain...
An introduction to the physiology, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome.