Injury management, disability management and rehabilitation

Some of the common terms used in return to work:

Quick Definitions:

Injury management refers to assisting people to remain at work or return to work, through medical and workplace care from the time of injury.

Disability management refers to taking a workplace approach to minimise unnecessary work disability, through both injury prevention through health and safety systems, as well as injury management if an injury does occur.

Rehabilitation refers to the process of returning a person to their pre-injury lifestyle, or as close as possible to their pre-injury lifestyle, including both work and non work activities.

Injury Management

Workplace management of work-related health conditions or injuries is known as injury management. The practice includes employer and medical management to facilitate efficient and cost effective maintenance of the person at work, or to assist them with return to work.

Injury management should be a coordinated approach from the time the problem develops.

Medical treatment needs to be supported by proactive employer practices. The assistance of other professionals is a common component.

The principles of injury management include:

1.	Recognition that employees and employers are the key stakeholders. Other stakeholders such as treating practitioners, claims staff and rehabilitation professionals can assist, inform and recommend. However, the employee-employer relationship is the foundation of injury management.

2.	Maintaining the employee at work, or arranging a safe return to work is the focus of injury management.

3.	Partnerships produce the best outcomes. Reliable and effective lines of communication are the building blocks of partnership. Medical providers, claims staff and rehabilitation professionals should provide ongoing support to foster the employee-employer relationship.

4.	The focus of services is workplace based. Off site approaches can be utilised where appropriate, but need to be integrated with return to work outcomes.

5.	Early intervention and proactive management are important for success.

6.	The injury management process should be transparent, open and effective.

Disability management

Disability management is the various strategies, services and people working together to prevent disability arising from injury. Disability management includes safety systems and the prevention of injuries, as well as management to minimise disability that can arise as a consequence of any injury.

Thus, disability management includes both injury prevention and injury management.

Disability management includes both injury prevention and injury management.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is the process of supporting a person back to their pre-injury lifestyle. This includes both work and non work activities. Rehabilitation of a work injury includes medical rehabilitation (such as improving wrist movement through activity after a wrist fracture) and vocational rehabilitation (identifying work duties and taking steps for the person to return to their 'vocation' or work).

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Injury management, disability management and rehabilitation - what are they?