Incidence, trends and factors associated with psychological injury among health and social care workers in New South Wales, Australia: a retrospective cohort study of workers' compensation claims.

Objectives: To describe and compare the incidence and trends of workers' compensation (WC) claims for psychological injury: (1) between health and social care (HSC) industry and other industries; (2) among specific occupations in the HSC industry; and (3) to determine if psychological injury claim rates differ by age and gender in the HSC industry and among specific occupations.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the New South Wales WC system. Workers with accepted psychological injury claims between July 2012 and June 2021 were included.

The Association of Physiotherapy Continuity of Care with Duration of Time Loss Among Compensated Australian Workers with Low Back Pain.

Purpose: The aims of this study are to determine how continuous the care provided by physiotherapists to compensated workers with low back pain is, what factors are associated with physiotherapy continuity of care (CoC; treatment by the same provider), and what the association between physiotherapy CoC and duration of working time loss is.

Methods: Workers' compensation claims and payments data from Victoria and South Australia were analysed. Continuity of care was measured with the usual provider continuity metric.

The burden of working time lost to compensable occupational injury and disease in Australia, 2012-17: a retrospective population-based study.

Objectives: To determine the national burden of working time lost to occupational injury and disease in Australia compensable by workers' compensation schemes; to characterise the distribution of time lost by age, sex, and injury and disease type.

Study Design: Retrospective population-based study; analysis of National Dataset for Compensation-based Statistics (NDS) data.

Setting, Participants: Granted workers' compensation claims by people aged 15-100 years including payment of wage replacement benefits for time off work lodged in Australia, 1 July 2012 - 30 June 2017.

How Much Physiotherapy, Chiropractic, and Osteopathy Care Do Compensated Australian Workers with Low Back Pain Receive? A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: To identify the prevalence and frequency of physiotherapy, chiropractic, and/or osteopathy care in Australians with workers' compensation claims for low back pain (LBP).

Methods: We included workers with accepted workers' compensation claims longer than 2 weeks from the Australian states of Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. Workers were grouped by whether they attended physiotherapy, chiropractic, and/or osteopathy in the first 2 years of their claim.

Patterns of physiotherapy attendance in compensated Australian workers with low back pain: a retrospective cohort study.

Workers with low back pain (LBP) frequently seek care from physiotherapists. We sought to identify patterns of physiotherapy attendance and factors associated with these patterns in Australian workers with accepted compensation claims for LBP. We included workers with accepted workers' compensation claims for LBP from 4 Australian states between 2011 and 2015.

Capture, Coding, and Reporting of Health Care and Medicine Information in Australian Workers' Compensation Systems.

Objective: This study aims to characterize the approaches to collecting, coding, and reporting health care and medicines data within Australian workers' compensation schemes.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of data and information professionals in major Australian workers' compensation jurisdictions. Questionnaires were developed with input from key informants and a review of existing documentation.

Development and initial application of a harmonised multi-jurisdiction work injury compensation database.

Objectives: Workers' compensation schemes provide funding for wage replacement and healthcare for injured and ill workers. In Australia, workers' compensation schemes operate independently in different jurisdictions, making comparisons of health service use challenging. We sought to develop and deploy a new database of health service and income support data, harmonising data from multiple Australian workers' compensation jurisdictions.

The Association Between Continuity of Care With a Primary Care Physician and Duration of Work Disability for Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: The aims of the study are to determine the continuity of care (CoC) provided by primary care physicians among workers with low back pain, to identify factors associated with CoC, and to investigate whether CoC is associated with working time loss.

Methods: Continuity of care was measured with the usual provider continuity metric. Ordinal logistic regression models examined factors associated with CoC.

The health impacts of a 4-month long community-wide COVID-19 lockdown: Findings from a prospective longitudinal study in the state of Victoria, Australia.

Objectives: To determine health impacts during, and following, an extended community lockdown and COVID-19 outbreak in the Australian state of Victoria, compared with the rest of Australia.

Methods: A national cohort of 898 working-age Australians enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study, completing surveys before, during, and after a 112-day community lockdown in Victoria (8 July- 27 October 2020). Outcomes included psychological distress, mental and physical health, work, social interactions and finances.

Variation in General Practice Services Provided to Australian Workers with Low Back Pain: A Cross-Jurisdictional Comparative Study.

Purpose: To compare the frequency of General Practitioner (GP) services and the time between first and last GP services (service duration) provided to workers with low back pain (LBP) between four Australian workers' compensation jurisdictions.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study using service level data collated from the Australian states of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Queensland. Negative binomial regression was used to compare GP service volume between jurisdictions in workers with accepted LBP compensation claims.

Returning to the Workplace During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Concerns of Australian Workers.

Purpose To determine the nature and prevalence of workers' concerns regarding workplaces reopening during the pandemic. To identify characteristics of workers and industries where particular concerns are more common. Method Prospective cohort study of 1063 employed Australian adults, enrolled at the start of the pandemic.

Health service use of Australian unemployment and disability benefit recipients: a national, cross-sectional study.

Background: Healthcare is funded and delivered separately from income support programs such as unemployment and disability benefits. Greater understanding of the health service use (HSU) of benefit recipients would support more effective design and delivery of health and income support programs. This study aimed to characterise the HSU of disability and unemployment benefit recipients relative to people earning wages, while controlling for personal, household and health-related factors associated with HSU in benefit recipients.

The Impact of Work Loss on Mental and Physical Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Baseline Findings from a Prospective Cohort Study.

Purpose To determine if losing work during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with mental and physical health status. To determine if social interactions and financial resources moderate the relationship between work loss and health. Methods Participants were Australians aged 18 + years that were employed in paid work prior to the COVID-19 pandemic who responded to an online or telephone survey from 27 March to 12 June 2020 as part of a prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Regional Differences in Time Off Work After Injury: A Comparison of Australian States and Territories Within A Single Workers' Compensation System.

Purpose Time off work after workplace injury varies by compensation system. While often attributed to features of the compensation system, unaccounted regional factors may drive much of the effect. In this study, we compare disability durations by state and territory of residence within a single national workers' compensation system.

Step-downs reduce workers' compensation payments to encourage return to work: are they effective?

Objective: To determine whether step-downs, which cut the rate of compensation paid to injured workers after they have been on benefits for several months, are effective as a return to work incentive.

Methods: We aggregated administrative claims data from seven Australian workers' compensation systems to calculate weekly scheme exit rates, a proxy for return to work. Jurisdictions were further subdivided into four injury subgroups: fractures, musculoskeletal, mental health and other trauma.

Assessment of a new tool to improve case manager identification of delayed return to work in the first two weeks of a workers' compensation claim.

Objective: To determine whether the Plan of Action for a Case (PACE) tool improved identification of workers at risk of delayed return to work.

Design: Prospective cohort of workers with accepted workers' compensation claims in the state of New South Wales, Australia.

Interventions: The 41-item PACE tool was completed by the case manager within the first two weeks of a claim.

The Impact of Income Sources on Financial Stress in Workers' Compensation Claimants.

Purpose: Workers' compensation schemes usually recompense workers below their regular wage. This may cause financial stress, which has previously been associated with poorer health and work outcomes after injury. We sought to determine the level of financial stress experienced by injured workers and the influence of post-injury income source on financial stress.

Psychological Distress in Workers' Compensation Claimants: Prevalence, Predictors and Mental Health Service Use.

Purpose To determine the prevalence and predictors of psychological distress among injured and ill workers and their mental health service use. Methods Cross-sectional national survey of adults with work-related musculoskeletal or mental health conditions, accepted workers' compensation claims and at least 1 day off work. Psychological distress was measured using the Kessler-6 scale.

Development and Pilot Assessment of the PACE Tool: Helping Case Managers Identify and Respond to Risk Factors in Workers' Compensation Case Management.

Purpose The aim was to develop a tool to be applied by workers' compensation case managers to guide intervention and avoid delayed return to work. Methods The Plan of Action for a CasE (PACE) tool was developed based on a review of existing literature, focus groups with case managers and analysis of existing claims data. Combined with analysis of existing case manager practice, these sources were used to determine key constructs for inclusion in the tool to be aligned with the demands of case manager workload.

Association between workers' compensation claim processing times and work disability duration: Analysis of population level claims data.

Delays in workers' compensation claim processing (CP) times have been associated with reduced recovery and delayed return-to-work. This study aimed to (1) determine the injury, worker, and workplace factors associated with CP delays and (2) investigate whether CP delays are associated with longer disability duration after adjusting for these factors. Retrospective cohort analysis of Australian workers' compensation claims was conducted from 1st July 2009 to 30th June 2016 for objective (1) and to 30th June 2014 for objective (2).

Injured worker experiences of insurance claim processes and return to work: a national, cross-sectional study.

Background: Insurance claims management practices may have a significant impact on the health and experiences of injured workers claiming in workers' compensation systems. There are few multi-jurisdictional studies of the way workers experience compensation processes, and limited data on the association between claims experience and return to work outcomes. This study sought to identify worker, claim and injury related factors associated with injured worker experiences of workers' compensation claims management processes, and to examine associations between claims experience and return to work.

Concerns About Claiming, Postclaim Support, and Return to Work Planning: The Workplace's Impact on Return to Work.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine how injured Australian workers perceived employer emotional (eg, empathy) and instrumental [eg, return-to-work (RTW) planning] support during the RTW process and examine associations between support and RTW.

Methods: Using data from the 2014 National Return to Work Survey of injured workers with a workers' compensation claim, multinomial regression models examined relationships between support and RTW.

Results: Receiving support and developing RTW plans were significantly associated with a greater likelihood of RTW.