An Evidence-Based Care Model for Workers With Concussion.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of an evidence-based assessment program for people with workers' compensation claims for concussion on healthcare utilization and duration of lost time from work.

Setting: An assessment program for people with a work-related concussion was introduced to provide physician assessment focused on education and appropriate triage.

Participants: A total of 3865 people with accepted workers' compensation claims for concussion with dates of injury between January 1, 2014, and February 28, 2017.

Impact of a Graduated Approach on Opioid Initiation and Loss of Earnings Following Workplace Injury: A Time Series Analysis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the impact of the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board's (WSIB's) graduated approach to opioid management on opioid prescribing and disability claim duration.

Methods: We studied patterns of opioid use and disability claim duration among Ontarians who received benefits through the WSIB between 2002 and 2013. We used interventional time series analysis to assess the impact of the WSIB graduated formulary on these trends.

Pre-Post Evaluation of an Integrated Return to Work Planning Program in Workers' Compensation Assessment Clinics.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a new workers' compensation medical assessment model on loss of earnings (LOE) benefits duration.

Methods: A medical assessment model was introduced incorporating return to work planning and inclusion of the worker's treating physician. Impact of the program on LOE benefit duration was assessed using a quasi-experimental pre-post study design.

Narcotic analgesic utilization amongst injured workers: using concept mapping to understand current issues from the perspectives of physicians and pharmacists.

Background: Work-related injuries result in considerable morbidity, as well as social and economic costs. Pain associated with these injuries is a complex, contested topic, and narcotic analgesics (NA) remain important treatment options. Factors contributing to NA utilization patterns are poorly understood.