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Recovery Within Injury Compensation Schemes: A System Mapping Study

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Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose Many industrialised nations have systems of injury compensation and rehabilitation that are designed to support injury recovery and return to work. Despite their intention, there is now substantial evidence that injured people, employers and healthcare providers can experience those systems as difficult to navigate, and that this can affect injury recovery. This study sought to characterise the relationships and interactions occurring between actors in three Australian injury compensation systems, to identify the range of factors that impact on injury recovery, and the interactions and inter-relationships between these factors. Methods This study uses data collected directly from injured workers and their family members via qualitative interviews, analysed for major themes and interactions between themes, and then mapped to a system level model. Results Multiple factors across multiple system levels were reported by participants as influencing injury recovery. Factors at the level of the injured person’s immediate environment, the organisations and personnel involved in rehabilitation and compensation processes were more commonly cited than governmental or societal factors as influencing physical function, psychological function and work participation. Conclusions The study demonstrates that injury recovery is a complex process influenced by the decisions and actions of organisations and individuals operating across multiple levels of the compensation system. Changes occurring ‘upstream’, for instance at the level of governmental or organisational policy, can impact injury recovery through both direct and diffuse pathways.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by WorkSafe Victoria, the Transport Accident Commission, Comcare and the Australian Research Council (ARC) via an ARC Industry Linkage Grant to the first author (Grant #LP11020019). The authors would like to acknowledge Ms Amy Allen for her contributions to data analysis.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Insurance Work and Health Group, Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia

    Alex Collie

  2. Accident Research Centre, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia

    Sharon Newnam

  3. School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, 99 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia

    Helen Keleher

  4. School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia

    Alan Petersen

  5. Institute of Work and Health, 481 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 2E9, Canada

    Agnieszka Kosny

  6. Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 550 Swanston Street, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Adam P. Vogel

  7. Melbourne School of Design, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne, Masson Road, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Jason Thompson

Authors
  1. Alex Collie
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  2. Sharon Newnam
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  3. Helen Keleher
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  4. Alan Petersen
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  5. Agnieszka Kosny
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  6. Adam P. Vogel
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  7. Jason Thompson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alex Collie.

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Ethical Approval

All procedures were in accordance with institutional ethical standards and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee.

Appendix: Example Questions

Appendix: Example Questions

Non-summativity

Tell me about your experiences dealing with your case manager following your injury….were they helpful and in what ways?

Homeostatis

Did your relationship with the case manager change over the course of your recovery? If so, how?

Equfinality

What do you think the case managers wanted to achieve during this process?

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Collie, A., Newnam, S., Keleher, H. et al. Recovery Within Injury Compensation Schemes: A System Mapping Study. J Occup Rehabil 29, 52–63 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-018-9764-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-018-9764-z

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