Communication and collaboration among return-to-work stakeholders

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Effective collaboration and communication among stakeholders are crucial for successful return-to-work after workplace injury or illness.
• Challenges in coordination can negatively impact patient care and rehabilitation outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the engagement of healthcare providers and case managers in rehabilitation and return-to-work processes.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to collaboration and communication between these key stakeholders.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative thematic content analysis of in-depth interviews.
• Conducted with 97 healthcare providers and 34 case managers across four Canadian provinces.

Main Results:

• Key findings include significant barriers to interdisciplinary communication and philosophical differences regarding return-to-work timing.
• Healthcare providers often experienced confusion regarding the workers' compensation system.
• These challenges led to poor care coordination, with injured workers becoming information conduits, impacting treatment and return-to-work timelines.

Conclusions:

• Communication challenges between healthcare providers and case managers can negatively affect patient care and provider engagement.
• Addressing role clarification, return-to-work appropriateness, and inter-professional communication is essential.
• Improving communication procedures can enhance the effectiveness and timeliness of rehabilitation and return-to-work.