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How Well Do We Report on Compensation Systems in Studies of Return to Work: A Systematic Review

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Abstract

Purpose Occupational injury and work-related disability is a significant public health problem. For published research to provide a collective knowledge base for return to work (RTW) policy and practice, features of the compensation system relevant to the research must be described clearly. The level of the reporting on compensation system features is yet to be established. The aim of the present study was to synthesize the evidence for the reporting on compensation systems in prognostic studies of RTW following work-related injuries. Methods A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Ovid Medline and EMBASE were searched for studies published 1996–2011. Included studies were prognostic studies of RTW or work disability following work-related acute traumatic injuries. Results The initial search yielded 952 articles; 37 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The majority of studies were based on clinical practice; eight studies were based on administrative data. Only two studies reported seven or more compensation features and two studies reported four to six. The majority of studies (19/37) did not report on any aspect of the compensation system that study participants were interacting with. The most common information reported was the extent of coverage at the population level (7/37) and the availability of wage replacement entitlements (7/37). The name of the compensation system was provided in 5 studies. Conclusions Overall reporting on compensation systems in prognostic studies of RTW needs to be improved if research evidence is to inform policy and practice. Compensation system features that could be reported are provided.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the following key researchers for providing opinion on the reporting on compensation systems in research studies. Genevieve Grant, Robert Guthrie, Rebbecca Lilley, Katherine Lippel, Kevin Purse, Jeanne Sears. The authors acknowledge assistance from Adrian Buzgau and Andrew Palagyi in regards to data storage. All authors receive research funding from the Transport Accident Commission and WorkSafe Victoria. Neither funder had any involvement in the study design; collection, analysis and interpretation of data; the writing of the manuscript and the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Ethical standards

All human studies included in this review have been approved by the appropriate ethics committee and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Safety Compensation and Recovery Research, Monash University, Level 11, 499 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia

    Fiona J. Clay & Alex Collie

  2. Injury Outcomes Research Unit, Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia

    Fiona J. Clay & Janneke Berecki-Gisolf

Authors
  1. Fiona J. Clay
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  2. Janneke Berecki-Gisolf
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  3. Alex Collie
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Correspondence to Janneke Berecki-Gisolf.

Appendices

Appendix 1

See Table 6.

Table 6 Search strategy for the databases EMBASE and Ovid Medline (numbers to the right of search terms indicate numbers of articles identified)
Full size table

Appendix 2

Peer reviewed papers on information interventions for recovery from a work-related injury or prognostic factors for RTW following a work-related soft tissue injury.

  1. 1.

    Burton AK, Waddell G, Tillotson KM, Summerton N. Information and advice to patients with back pain can have a positive effect. A randomized controlled trial of a novel educational booklet in primary care. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1999; 24:2484–91.

  2. 2.

    Cherkin DC, Deyo RA, Street JH, Hunt M et al. Pitfalls of patient education. Limited success of a program for back pain in primary care. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1996; 21:345–55.

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    Coudeyre E, Tubach F, Rannou F, Baron G et al. Effect of a simple information booklet on pain persistence after an acute episode of low back pain: a non-randomized trial in a primary care setting. PLoS One. 2007; 2:e706.

  4. 4.

    Derebery J, Giang GM, Gatchel RJ, Erickson K, Fogarty TW. Efficacy of a patient-educational booklet for neck-pain patients with workers’ compensation: a randomized controlled trial. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2009; 34:206–13.

  5. 5.

    Evans DW, Breen AC, Pincus T, Sim J et al. The effectiveness of a posted information package on the beliefs and behaviour of musculoskeletal practitioners: the UK Chiropractors, Osteopaths, and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapists Low Back Pain Management (COMPLeMENT) randomized trial. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2010; 35:858–66.

  6. 6.

    Linton SJ, Nordin E. A 5-year follow-up evaluation of the health and economic consequences of an early cognitive behavioural intervention for back pain: a randomized, controlled trial. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2006; 31:853–8.

  7. 7.

    Little P, Roberts L, Blowers H, Garwood J et al. Should we give detailed advice and information booklets to patients with back pain? A randomized controlled factorial trial of a self-management booklet and doctor advice to take exercise for back pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2001;26(19):2065–72.

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  2. 2.

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  3. 3.

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    Alexopoulos EC, Konstantinou EC, Bakoyannis G, Tanagra D, Burdorf A. Risk factors for sickness absence due to low back pain and prognostic factors for return to work in a cohort of shipyard workers. Eur Spine J. 2008; 17:1185–92.

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    Pransky GS, Benjamin KL, Savageau JA, Currivan D, Fletcher K. Outcomes in work-related injuries: a comparison of older and younger workers. Am J Ind Med. 2005; 47:104–12

  6. 6.

    Hogg-Johnson S, Cole DC. Early prognostic factors for duration on temporary total benefits in the first year among workers with compensated occupational soft tissue injuries. Occup Environ Med. 2003; 60:244–53.

  7. 7.

    Mayer T, Gatchel RJ, Evans T. Effect of age on outcomes of tertiary rehabilitation for chronic disabling spinal disorders. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2001 15; 26:1378–84.

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Clay, F.J., Berecki-Gisolf, J. & Collie, A. How Well Do We Report on Compensation Systems in Studies of Return to Work: A Systematic Review. J Occup Rehabil 24, 111–124 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-013-9435-z

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