Plain-language summaries

Institute for Work & Health (IWH) plain-language summaries condense research findings in various formats. At Work articles explain study results with comments from the study leads. Research Highlights summarize journal articles in easy-to-read, digest formats. Sharing Best Evidence summaries highlight findings from systematic reviews and other types of reviews conducted or led by IWH researchers. Issue Briefings discuss key research findings from IWH or elsewhere on topics that are of particular interest to policy-makers.

At Work article

Hot off the presses...and into the hands of practitioners

Getting new and updated Institute for Work & Health tools to practitioners is paramount, and this season the Institute was full steam ahead.
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At Work article

Reducing presenteeism through workplace health promotion programs

Workplace health promotion programs are a strategy adopted by employers to address presenteeism and on-the-job performance. But are these programs effective? A recent review of the evidence suggests some are, and points to program components that help to make them successful.
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At Work article

Message from the president: Listening to stakeholders about research priorities

The following message is from Institute for Work & Health President Dr. Cameron Mustard, commenting on the Institute’s consultation last fall about research priorities.
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At Work article

Fast but finite: Complementary and alternative therapies

A review led by a scientist from the Institute for Work & Health investigated the effectiveness of alternative therapies for back and neck pain and found that the benefits are immediate, but not lasting.
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At Work article

Driven by data: The promising impact of research on policy

In illustrating how research at California’s RAND Corporation helped to reform policy, Dr. Robert Reville, speaking at the annual Nachemson lecture, brought an important take-away message north of the 49th parallel: Research and policy analysis can improve workers’ compensation policy in many ways.
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At Work article

Investigating temporary employment in Canada

Sally (a pseudonym) was laid off from her administrative position at a London, Ontario-based investment firm in November of 2008. Although she had several years of experience in her field, she was unable to find a permanent full-time job. Instead, she found temporary reception work.
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At Work article

Health-Care Rx: Reducing work absences among Canadian nurses

Creating non-violent and supportive health-care workplaces might help prevent prolonged work absences among nurses. This is the upshot of a new study from the Institute for Work & Health.
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At Work article

IWH tools in action

With workers’ health and safety top of mind, the Institute for Work & Health has developed easy-to-use resources designed for workers, employers, clinicians, and health and safety professionals. With some tools seeing close to 3,000 downloads, it’s an understatement to say that they have struck a chord in the “real world” of work.
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At Work article

Researching workplace depression: Where to go from here

More high quality research is needed to determine what types of programs will most effectively address depression in the workplace. But at least we know this type of research is possible.
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At Work article

Change is possible: Ontario youth WSIB claim rate declining

A recent study from the Institute for Work & Health shows that, in Ontario, the youth injury rate is declining more steeply than, and converging with, the adult rate. This shows these injury rates are not static and can be potentially improved through prevention strategies.
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At Work article

A tough nut to crack: Understanding no-lost-time claims in Ontario

Ontario’s no-lost-time claims increased from 56 per cent of all accepted claims in 1991 to 68 per cent in 2006, according to new research from the Institute for Work & Health. But it’s too soon to say what’s driving this phenomenon.
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A man stands in shadow with head down
Sharing Best Evidence

Effectiveness of interventions to address depression in the workplace

Little information is available on the effectiveness of workplace programs to target depression. This systematic review set out to provide such information. It searched the research literature to look for interventions for managing depression in the workplace that were effective from an employer's point of view.
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A crowd at a crosswalk, viewed from the bottom
Issue Briefing

Trends in no-lost-time claims in Ontario

The proportion of work-related injuries registered as no-lost-time claims (NLTCs) versus lost-time claims (LTCs) increased in Ontario from 1991 to 2006. Based on research from IWH, this Issue Briefing takes a close look at the characteristics of NLTCs in Ontario and the factors that may help explain their increasing share of workers' compensation claims in the province.
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At Work article

The quest for greater flexibility: Creative innovations for workers with arthritis

Arthritis is a leading cause of disability among adults, and it often affects them in the prime of their career. How it’s approached in the workplace can make all the difference, according to a new study by an adjunct scientist at the Institute for Work & Health.
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At Work article

Systematic review looks for KTE evaluation tools

Few well-developed instruments are available to evaluate the implementation and impact of knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) practices. However, some KTE evaluation instruments do hold promise. These are among the key messages stemming from a systematic review led by the Institute for Work & Health.
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At Work article

How workplace policies affect return to work

Organizational policies and practices play a role in whether or not injured workers will return to work and if they will perform well once back at work. A new study from the Institute for Work & Health not only demonstrates this, but also helps explain why.
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At Work article

The "watchful dose": Supporting doctors in the effort to reduce the harms of opioid prescribing

An associate scientist from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) led the creation of the innovative and easy-to-use Opioid Manager. It is designed to help doctors facilitate safe opioid use among patients seeking relief from chronic non-cancer pain, including those recovering from work injuries.
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At Work article

The power of positive thinking: More evidence on patient expectations and return to work

Recent research from the Institute for Work & Health reinforces evidence that patients who are optimistic about recovery following an injury will actually recover and return to work faster than patients who are less optimistic— a finding that should be recognized in case management decisions.
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At Work article

Tapping the tree of knowledge: How Jane Gibson bridged the research-to-action gap

After a decade of leadership, Jane Brenneman Gibson is retiring this summer. She championed the knowledge transfer and exchange department at the Institute for Work & Health from its infancy to its current state: a leader in the field.
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At Work article

Relationship trouble: The role of health-care providers in complex workers’ compensation claims

The interactions among health-care providers, injured workers and workers’ compensation boards can result in problems that delay the return to work of injured workers with complicated claims, according to a recent analysis by Institute for Work & Health researchers.
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