INTRODUCTION: Optimal disability management practices supporting early and safe return-to-work involve the workplace adoption of formal policies and procedures to ensure the quality of disability management outcomes. In the Canadian province of Ontario, there are approximately 60,000 health care workers in 600 licensed facilities providing long-term residential care to approximately 75,000 elderly residents. Workers in this sector are exposed to high biomechanical demands arising from care-giving tasks and have a substantial risk of work-related disability. Over the period 2000-2006, many long-term care facilities in Ontario adopted disability management practices that encourage modified work arrangements. The objective of this study was to describe differences in modified work arrangements and disability outcomes in long-term care facilities in Ontario. METHODS: Measures of disability episode outcomes are described for a representative sample of 32 Ontario long-term care facilities for two consecutive years 2005 and 2006. Data were obtained from a questionnaire survey of facilities, a survey of a representative sample of caregivers and administrative records from the provincial workers' compensation agency. RESULTS: A total of 28,747 days of disability attributed to work-related conditions were experienced by 3,271 full-time equivalent staff in 2005 (28,034 days in 2006). Average total disability days were 922 per 100 full-time equivalent staff in 2005 and 889 per 100 full-time equivalent staff in 2006. Disability compensation expenditures, measured as wage replacement benefits received by disabled workers, were estimated to be $72,332 per 100 full-time equivalent staff in 2005 and $64,619 per 100 full-time equivalent staff in 2006. On average, approximately 60% of all disability days were managed by modified duty arrangements and the proportion of total disability days managed by modified duty arrangements for each facility was correlated between the two observation years. CONCLUSIONS: Across facilities, there was no evidence that modified duty arrangements were associated with lower disability compensation expenditures and there was mixed evidence that modified duty was associated with a lower burden of disability. In this setting, disability days managed by modified duty arrangements were not accurately documented in worker's compensation claim records.
INTRODUCTION: Optimal disability management practices supporting early and safe return-to-work involve the workplace adoption of formal policies and procedures to ensure the quality of disability management outcomes. In the Canadian province of Ontario, there are approximately 60,000 health care workers in 600 licensed facilities providing long-term residential care to approximately 75,000 elderly residents. Workers in this sector are exposed to high biomechanical demands arising from care-giving tasks and have a substantial risk of work-related disability. Over the period 2000-2006, many long-term care facilities in Ontario adopted disability management practices that encourage modified work arrangements. The objective of this study was to describe differences in modified work arrangements and disability outcomes in long-term care facilities in Ontario. METHODS: Measures of disability episode outcomes are described for a representative sample of 32 Ontario long-term care facilities for two consecutive years 2005 and 2006. Data were obtained from a questionnaire survey of facilities, a survey of a representative sample of caregivers and administrative records from the provincial workers' compensation agency. RESULTS: A total of 28,747 days of disability attributed to work-related conditions were experienced by 3,271 full-time equivalent staff in 2005 (28,034 days in 2006). Average total disability days were 922 per 100 full-time equivalent staff in 2005 and 889 per 100 full-time equivalent staff in 2006. Disability compensation expenditures, measured as wage replacement benefits received by disabled workers, were estimated to be $72,332 per 100 full-time equivalent staff in 2005 and $64,619 per 100 full-time equivalent staff in 2006. On average, approximately 60% of all disability days were managed by modified duty arrangements and the proportion of total disability days managed by modified duty arrangements for each facility was correlated between the two observation years. CONCLUSIONS: Across facilities, there was no evidence that modified duty arrangements were associated with lower disability compensation expenditures and there was mixed evidence that modified duty was associated with a lower burden of disability. In this setting, disability days managed by modified duty arrangements were not accurately documented in worker's compensation claim records.
Authors: Margaret J McGregor; Marcy Cohen; Kimberlyn McGrail; Anne Marie Broemeling; Reva N Adler; Michael Schulzer; Lisa Ronald; Yuri Cvitkovich; Mary Beck Journal: CMAJ Date: 2005-03-01 Impact factor: 8.262
Authors: Renee M Williams; Muriel G Westmorland; Harry S Shannon; Farah Rasheed; Benjamin C Amick Journal: Am J Ind Med Date: 2005-03 Impact factor: 2.214
Authors: Henk F van der Molen; Judith K Sluiter; Carel T J Hulshof; Peter Vink; Monique H W Frings-Dresen Journal: Scand J Work Environ Health Date: 2005 Impact factor: 5.024
Authors: Mieke Koehoorn; Paul A Demers; Clyde Hertzman; Judy Village; Susan M Kennedy Journal: Scand J Work Environ Health Date: 2006-08 Impact factor: 5.024
Authors: Margaret J McGregor; Robert B Tate; Kimberlyn M McGrail; Lisa A Ronald; Anne-Marie Broemeling; Marcy Cohen Journal: Med Care Date: 2006-10 Impact factor: 2.983
Authors: William S Shaw; Vicki L Kristman; Kelly Williams-Whitt; Sophie Soklaridis; Yueng-Hsiang Huang; Pierre Côté; Patrick Loisel Journal: J Occup Rehabil Date: 2014-12