Research Updates

This page lists all research updates available on Return to Work Matters.

Research is chosen for review based on quality of the evidence and its practical value in return to work.

Requests to undertake reviews of research on particular subjects are welcome.

Click the ‘Topics’ button below to drill down into all articles and research updates on your topic of interest.

Depression and antidepressants

contributorTom Wells-Quinn

Clinical principles for the use of antidepressants, and the effectiveness of other treatments in...

Countering job dissatisfaction in immigrant workers

contributorFriyana Bhabha

What can employers do to tackle the problem of job dissatisfaction?

Empowering employers to fight depression

contributorAnna Dunn

A short guide to depression busting in the workplace

Challenges and opportunities for preventing depression

contributorTom Wells-Quinn

This article explores some of the ways to manage and prevent major depression in the workplace.

Recognising depression at work

contributorTom Wells-Quinn

We all know depression is a problem, but do we recognise depression when we see it?

The business of depression

contributorTom Wells-Quinn

There is a good business case for educating your workforce about depression

Depression, anxiety, fatigue: the unproductive trinity

contributorTom Wells-Quinn

Productivity suffers when workers are depressed - but are some depressed workers more prone to...

Get off your backside to improve your back!

contributorTom Wells-Quinn

Home exercise is a cheap and effective way to improve back pain

Non-surgical treatment options for chronic back pain

contributorFriyana Bhabha

Exercise, behavioural and multimodal programs: What works for RTW and why?

Success with shoulders?

contributorFriyana Bhabha

Rotator cuff treatments that work...and a couple that don't!

Employer flexibility helps cancer survivors return to work

contributorAnna Dunn

Returning to work after cancer treatment is difficult, but employers can make a difference.

Treating back pain with corticosteroids

contributorAnna Dunn

Are steroid injections an effective way to treat acute back pain?

School of (back) pain!

contributorHannah Bourne

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

What is occupational contact dermatitis?

contributorFriyana Bhabha

Know the facts about this common skin condition.

Epidemiology for Beginners

contributorFriyana Bhabha

Introducing the basics and explaining the terminology

The costs of mental health problems ARE negotiable

contributorFriyana Bhabha

Lowering the costs of mental health problems for governments, employers, families and sufferers

Treatment recommendations: making them stick

contributorFriyana Bhabha

How to help patients adhere to treatment recommendations

Fear, distress and heavy lifting: predictors of ongoing back pain

contributorFriyana Bhabha

Psychological distress, heavy lifting and fear of activity are better predictors of back pain...

Bearing the brunt of obesity

contributorFriyana Bhabha

How obesity impacts the workplace

Upper extremity overuse and RTW

contributorFriyana Bhabha

Two-thirds of workers with upper extremity overuse experience a recurrence of pain after RTW....

What is behind psychosocial sick leave?

contributorFrederieke Schaafsma

A look at the factors which predict psychosocial sick leave.

Optimising occupational health

contributorFrederieke Schaafsma

Decisions made in occupational health care that follow the 5-step protocol of evidence based...

Distress, fatigue and long-term sick leave

contributorFrederieke Schaafsma

What puts men and women at risk of taking long term sick leave? This study explores the roles...

Tick, tick, tick: The timing of intervention.

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

Intervention by nurse case managers during the first week after onset of back pain improves...

Why me? Predicting neck pain

contributorJoy Hewitt

Certain factors put people at risk of recurrent neck pain. What predicts recovery? This study...

A pain in the neck?

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

A Canadian study explores the relationship between neck pain and lost time claims.

Early intervention: Risky business?

contributorGabrielle Lis

Early intervention programs for lower back pain aim to keep workers in the workplace. How can...

When safety turns dangerous...

contributorAndrea Thompson

Safety incentive programs may reduce workplace injury rates but they can also cause...

Save lives and money with health and productivity management

contributorAndrea Thompson

The best work disability programs are broader than return to work management. Improving the...

More than just pain

contributorFriyana Bhabha

There is more to chronic widespread pain, than pain itself.

Is there a place for therapeutic RTW?

contributorGabrielle Lis

A comparison of train-before-placing and place-before-training models demonstrates that on the...

Compensating for legislation

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Case Study NSW: How do changes to a compensation system effect whiplash recovery outcomes?

Left behind in the RTW journey - Part 1

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

A look at barriers to return to work for those out of work for two years. Return to work after...

Left behind in the RTW journey - Part 2

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Long term claimants commonly describe a system that is frustrating, does not consider their...

If RTW with chronic back pain fails, try a new approach

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Chronic pain is challenging to manage. Dr Wyatt describes a hotel worker's persistent, disabling...

Which work factors determine job satisfaction?

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Job satisfaction improves mental health. Task variety, colleagues, and general working...

Shifting attitudes to back pain - the Scots follow the Aussies

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

A public health campaign in Scotland has improved people's understanding and beliefs about back...

Employee input into improving their work environment: just the prescription for treating sick leave absences

contributorJoy Hewitt

An 'organisational rehabilitation' program that identified and addressed employees' concerns...

Locus of control and vocational rehabilitation

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

A sense of control over the situation improves return to work outcomes.

The empowerment of people with neck pain

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Improved understanding about neck problems helps the patient get a better grasp on their...