Non-pharmacological management of persistent headaches associated with neck pain: A clinical practice guideline from the Ontario protocol for traffic injury management (OPTIMa) collaboration.

Objectives: To develop an evidence-based guideline for the non-pharmacological management of persistent headaches associated with neck pain (i.e., tension-type or cervicogenic).

Exploring Chiropractic Services in the Canadian Forces Health Services - Perceptions of Facilitators and Barriers Among Key Informants.

Introduction: Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions have a significant impact on the health and operational readiness of military members. The Canadian Forces Health Services (CFHS) provides a spectrum of health services in managing Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel health care needs with on-base and off-base services provided by civilian and uniformed health care professionals, including chiropractors. Although chiropractic services are available in US DoD and VA systems, little is known about the facilitators and barriers to integrating on-base chiropractic services within the CFHS.

Applying theories to better understand socio-political challenges in implementing evidence-based work disability prevention strategies.

Purpose: This article explores and applies theories for analyzing socio-political aspects of implementation of work disability prevention (WDP) strategies.

Method: For the analysis, theories from political science are explained and discussed in relation to case examples from three jurisdictions (Sweden, Brazil and Québec).

Results: Implementation of WDP strategies may be studied through a conceptual framework that targets: (1) the institutional system in which policy-makers and other stakeholders reside; (2) the ambiguity and conflicts regarding what to do and how to do it; (3) the bounded rationality, path dependency and social systems of different stakeholders; and (4) coalitions formed by different stakeholders and power relations between them.

Development of the Return-to-Work Obstacles and Self-Efficacy Scale (ROSES) and Validation with Workers Suffering from a Common Mental Disorder or Musculoskeletal Disorder.

Introduction Common mental disorders (CMDs) and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) lead the list of causes for work absence in several countries. Current research is starting to look at workers on sick leave as a single population, regardless of the nature of the disease or accident. The purpose of this study is to report the validation of the Return to Work Obstacles and Self-Efficacy Scale (ROSES) for people with MSDs and CMDs, based on the disability paradigm.

Supervisor and Organizational Factors Associated with Supervisor Support of Job Accommodations for Low Back Injured Workers.

Purpose Temporary job accommodations contribute to the prevention of chronic work disability due to low back pain (LBP) through the facilitation of early return to work; yet, workplace dimensions of job accommodation are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to determine supervisor and organizational factors associated with supervisors' support for temporary job accommodations for LBP injured workers. Methods Supervisors were recruited from 19 workplaces in the USA and Canada and completed an online survey regarding job accommodation practices and potential associated factors with respect to a case vignette of a worker with LBP.

Supervisors' perceptions of organizational policies are associated with their likelihood to accommodate back-injured workers.

Background Low back pain (LBP) is a major concern among North American workplaces and little is known regarding a supervisor's decision to support job accommodation for workers with LBP. The extent to which supervisors are included in a company's effort to institute disability management policies and practices and workplace safety climate are two factors that may influence a supervisor's decision to accommodate workers with LBP. Objective Determine the association between supervisors' perceptions of disability management policies, corporate safety culture and their likelihood of supporting job accommodations for workers with LBP.

Using Cartoons to Transfer Knowledge Concerning the Principles of Work Disability Prevention Among Stakeholders.

Purpose This study assesses how well two cartoons transfer knowledge of principles of work disability prevention among stakeholders, according to their level of experience. We also document stakeholders' perceptions of the usefulness of the cartoons. Method We performed a descriptive study.

Does the Upper-Limb Work Instability Scale Predict Transitions Out of Work Among Injured Workers?

Objective: To investigate the predictive ability of the Upper-Limb Work Instability Scale (UL-WIS) for transitioning out of work among injured workers with chronic, work-related upper extremity disorders (WRUEDs).

Design: Secondary analysis of a 12-month cohort study with data collection at baseline and 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up. Survey questionnaires were used to collect data on an array of sociodemographic, health-related, and work-related variables.

Results of a feasibility study: barriers and facilitators in implementing the Sherbrooke model in France.

Objectives: Return-to-work interventions associated with the workplace environment are often more effective than conventional care. The Sherbrooke model is an integrated intervention that has proved successful in preventing work disability due to low-back pain. Implementation, however, runs up against many obstacles, and failure has been reported in many countries.

The Job Accommodation Scale (JAS): psychometric evaluation of a new measure of employer support for temporary job modifications.

Introduction: An employer offer of temporary job modification is a key strategy for facilitating return-to-work for musculoskeletal conditions, but there are no validated scales to assess the level of support for temporary job modifications across a range of job types and organizations.

Objective: To pilot test a new 21-item self-report measure [the Job Accommodation Scale (JAS)] to assess its applicability, internal consistency, factor structure, and relation to physical job demands.

Methods: Supervisors (N = 804, 72.

Are work disability prevention interventions effective for the management of neck pain or upper extremity disorders? A systematic review by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) collaboration.

Purpose: We conducted a systematic review to critically appraise and synthesize literature on the effectiveness of work disability prevention (WDP) interventions in workers with neck pain, whiplash-associated disorders (WAD), or upper extremity disorders.

Methods: We searched electronic databases from 1990 to 2012. Random pairs of independent reviewers critically appraised eligible studies using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network criteria.

Examination of the relationship between theory-driven policies and allowed lost-time back claims in workers' compensation: a system dynamics model.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a model that evaluates the impact of policy changes on the number of workers' compensation lost-time back claims in Ontario, Canada, over a 30-year timeframe. The model was used to test the hypothesis that a theory- and policy-driven model would be sufficient in reproducing historical claims data in a robust manner and that policy changes would have a major impact on modeled data.

Methods: The model was developed using system dynamics methods in the Vensim simulation program.

Twenty-five years with the biopsychosocial model of low back pain-is it time to celebrate? A report from the twelfth international forum for primary care research on low back pain.

Study Design: An integrated review of current knowledge about the biopsychosocial model of back pain for understanding etiology, prognosis, and interventions, as presented at the plenary sessions of the XII International Forum on LBP Research in Primary Care (Denmark; October 17-19, 2012).

Objective: To evaluate the utility of the model in reference to rising rates of back pain-related disability, by identifying (a) the most promising avenues for future research in biological, psychological, and social approaches, (b) promising combinations of all 3 approaches, and (c) obstacles to effective implementation of biopsychosocial-based research and clinical practice.

Summary Of Background Data: The biopsychosocial model of back pain has become a dominant model in the conceptualization of the etiology and prognosis of back pain, and has led to the development and testing of many interventions.

Exploring the diversity of conceptualizations of work (dis)ability: a scoping review of published definitions.

Purpose: Researchers are confronted to numerous definitions of work ability/disability, influenced by their context of emergence, discipline, purpose, underlying paradigm and relationship to time. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the concept through a systematic scoping review and the development of an integrative concept map of work (dis)ability. The research questions are: How has work (dis)ability been conceptualized from the perspectives of research, practice, policy and industry in the published scientific literature? How has the conceptualization of work (dis)ability evolved over time?

Methods: A search strategy was designed with a library scientist to retrieve scientific publications containing explicit definition(s) of work (dis)ability in leading-edge databases.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ-25) in Workers' Compensation Claimants with chronic upper-limb disorders.

Purpose: To examine the factorial validity of the Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ-25) among workers' compensation claimants with chronic upper-limb disorders.

Methods: Attendees of the WSIB Shoulder and Elbow Specialty clinic in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, completed a survey that includes the WLQ-25 [4 subscales: time-management (TM), physical demands (PD), mental-interpersonal (MI), and output demands (OD)]. Confirmatory factor analyses (n = 2262) were conducted to evaluate and compare alternative 4- and 5-factor WLQ-25 structures [MI subscale intact vs.

Work reintegration for veterans with mental disorders: a systematic literature review to inform research.

Background: Some veterans, and especially those with mental disorders, have difficulty reintegrating into the civilian workforce.

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to describe the scope of the existing literature on mental disorders and unemployment and to identify factors potentially associated with reintegration of workers with mental disorders into the workforce.

Data Sources: The following databases were searched from their respective inception dates: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cumulative Index Nursing Allied Health (CINAHL), and PsycINFO.

Validation of the programme impact theory for a work rehabilitation programme.

Objective: The Therapeutic Return to Work (TRW) is a comprehensive rehabilitation process that is centralised in the workplace and consists of a worker's progressive return to his or her regular work. A programme impact theory for the TRW and three mechanism hypotheses were developed [12]. The objective of this study was to validate the mechanism hypotheses.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Work Disability Diagnosis Interview (WoDDI) for the Brazilian context.

The Work Disability Diagnosis Interview (WoDDI) is a structured interview guide developed by the University of Sherbrooke, Canada to help clinicians detect the most important work-related disability predictors and to identify one or more causes of prolonged absenteeism. This methodological study aims for the cross-cultural adaptation of the WoDDI for the Brazilian context. The method followed international guidelines for studies of this kind, including the following steps: initial translation, synthesis of translations, back translation, evaluation by an expert committee and testing of the penultimate version.

Fostering shared decision making by occupational therapists and workers involved in accidents resulting in persistent musculoskeletal disorders: a study protocol.

Background: From many empirical and theoretical points of view, the implementation of shared decision making (SDM) in work rehabilitation for pain due to a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) is justified but typically the SDM model applies to a one on one encounter between a healthcare provider and a patient and not to an interdisciplinary team.

Objectives: To adapt and implement an SDM program adapted to the realities of work rehabilitation for pain associated with a MSD. More specific objectives are to adapt an SDM program applicable to existing rehabilitation programs, and to evaluate the extent of implementation of the SDM program in four rehabilitation centres.

The practical application of theory and research for preventing work disability: a new paradigm for occupational rehabilitation services in China?

Introduction: Theoretical frameworks for preventing work disability have evolved over the last decade and various experimental models have been tested in occupational rehabilitation settings. The successful application and uptake of the most recent research evidence in rehabilitation practices depend on a complex interplay of the decisions of multi-stakeholders, including their perceptions of the evidence, a proper regulatory framework for injury prevention, compensation and disability management; as well as the cultural and socioeconomic factors unique to each country (social context). This paper summarizes the scope of the work disability prevention field and describes the contextual barriers and support mechanisms for implementing evidence-based practices for disability prevention in China's national rehabilitation system.

2nd place, PREMUS best paper competition: implementing return-to-work interventions for workers with low-back pain--a conceptual framework to identify barriers and facilitators.

Objectives: Workplace-based return-to-work (RTW) interventions (programs) for workers with low-back pain are more effective than usual healthcare. Nevertheless, the implementation of such interventions usually encounters many barriers within healthcare systems, workplaces, and insurance systems. The aims of this study were to first construct a conceptual framework to identify barriers and facilitators before implementing RTW interventions and second validate this conceptual framework empirically.

Return-to-work activities in a Chinese cultural context.

Introduction: Several studies have been conducted in the West showing that return to work (RTW) coordination is a key element to facilitate RTW of injured workers and to prevent work disabilities. However, no study has been carried out to investigate the scope of RTW activities in China. The purpose of this study was to explore the views of key RTW stakeholders on necessary activities for RTW coordination.

Relationship between the margin of manoeuvre and the return to work after a long-term absence due to a musculoskeletal disorder: an exploratory study.

Purpose: The application of the margin of manoeuvre (MM) concept in work rehabilitation is new. It allows for variations in both health status and work demands, and the interaction between the two, to be taken into account. The objective of this exploratory study was to document the relationship between the presence of an MM in the workplace and the return to work (RTW), after a long-term absence.