Imagine a day in the life of an injured healthcare worker… You have had a long day working at the hospital assisting patients and entering medical records into the computer. At the end of your shift you transfer a patient, your back gives out and you are in immense pain. Hours later at home, the pain continues to increase and you have to take a week off work to recover. When you return to work you are still not able to perform your regular work tasks for another six weeks…
How can you get back to your regular work duties as soon as you are fit to do so,
and without risking re-injury?
In the Disability Prevention department at OHSAH, we provide guidance to assist healthcare workers in BC through safe return-to-work (RTW) and stay-at-work (SAW) practices. For the healthcare worker who has been injured, gradual return-to-work procedures can be put in place to assist the worker recover, which could include early and supportive contact by the workplace, meaningful modified duties, reduced hours, appropriate coordination with the healthcare provider, and support from their manager/supervisor. Since the development of disability depends to a large extent on a person-environment interaction, disability can be prevented or decreased by appropriate changes in personal and organizational factors. As well, for any RTW and SAW strategy to be effective, organizational support is key.
Work disability prevention is made up of two components: primary and secondary prevention. Although both are linked and related, the main focus of OHSAH’s Disability Prevention Team is secondary prevention
- Primary Prevention: the act of preventing injury or illnesses from developing by providing tools and strategies that identify, assess and manage risks.
- Secondary Prevention: the act of preventing an existing injury or illness from getting worse and preventing their negative consequences. There are two elements to this type of prevention.
Stay-at-work interventions occur when a worker is experiencing limitations at work due to symptoms or the management of symptoms, such as medication. These interventions can include work accommodation such as modified work or reduced hours, as well as primary prevention interventions such as workplace assessment, or work site visit and follow up.
Return-to-work to work interventions occur when a worker has to take time off work to recover from an injury or illness. Early support is often needed so that workers return to work and resume normal daily activities. Typical return-to-work interventions include meaningful modified duties, reduced hours, appropriate coordination with the healthcare provider, and support from their manager/supervisor.
Feel free to contact us, the Disability Prevention Team, if you have any questions or concerns:
General Inquiries:
DisabilityPrevention@ohsah.bc.ca
Specific Inquiries:
Dr. Renée-Louise Franche, Director of Disability Prevention
Phone: (778) 328-8036
Email: Renee-louisef@ohsah.bc.ca
Philip Mah, Program Project Manager, Disability Prevention
Phone: (778) 328-8018
Email: Philip@ohsah.bc.ca
