KITIMAT DRAFT Report

Figure 5
Early Contact and Intervention
Attribute #3 - Key Research:
The initial contact with the worker following disability should express that the workplace cares and
initiate the conversation on return-to-work. (Larsson & Gard, 2003)
It is essential to instill the return-to-work thought in the employee’s mind. The employee perception
of whether they will return to work is a very important variable in whether or not the employee will
return to work. (Hogg-Johnson & Cole – 2003)
Our data provides some evidence that early intervention could be beneficial for appropriate subsets
of high-risk patients, probably in the form of workplace coordination and support, physical activation
or cognitive-behavioural strategies to overcome emotional distress and negative pain beliefs.
Our primary conclusion is that the use of patient questionnaires of pain-related concerns and
expectations can be useful to identify patients in greatest need of early intervention to alleviate
emotional distress, overcome activity limitations, or increase workplace support, respectively. (Reme
et al – 2012)
Facilitating navigation through the disability management system, by providing work absent workers
with information about modified work options, rehabilitation and the disability management process
appears to be a simple, yet effective, method of improving return-to-work outcomes among workers
with common mental health conditions, more so than among workers with low back pain or other
musculoskeletal disorders. It is possible that providing information to this subgroup of workers gives
them much needed clarity about what lies ahead in the return-to-work process. (Pomaki – 2012)
DRAFT
Situational assessment
District of Kitimat
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