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.
Sharing Best Evidence
Promising KTE evaluation tools
A systematic review of the literature to find tools that effectively measure the impact of knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) activities concluded that few well developed instruments are available to evaluate the implementation and impact of knowledge transfer and exchange practices. However, it did find 16 articles describing instruments that showed promise as useful tools in the evaluation of KTE activities, and references for these are provided here.
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Issue Briefing
The adequacy of workers’ compensation benefits
Workers who suffer permanent impairments from a work injury often rely on workers' compensation benefits to replace lost earnings. But how well are benefit programs fulfilling this role? This Issue Briefing addresses that question.
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At Work article
Leading indicators may pinpoint positive differences in OHS practices
The Institute for Work & Health is currently conducting a number of studies that may provide important insights on “leading indicators.” The results from these studies will support efforts to improve the way Ontario firms manage their occupational health and safety programs.
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At Work article
Thumbs down: MSK symptoms and hand-held devices
If you use a hand-held device such as a BlackBerry or an iPod, do you experience hand or neck pain? If you answered, “yes,” you’re likely not alone.
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At Work article
At issue: Income security for persons with disabilities in Canada
A more coordinated and client-oriented approach is needed for disability benefit programs in Canada, according to a new Issue Briefing from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH).
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At Work article
Are those who work shifts more at risk of work injury?
The number of Canadians working shifts other than a regular daytime schedule is on the rise. A new study suggests that those who work night or rotating shifts are more at risk of getting injured on the job.
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At Work article
Cancer Care Ontario: How research evidence helped improve outcomes
Within the span of 10 years, Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) went from an ailing organization to a leading health-care agency. As former CCO head Dr. Terry Sullivan explained at the 2010 Alf Nachemson Memorial Lecture, much of the turn-around can be attributed to a culture of quality improvement tied to research evidence.
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At Work article
The crystal ball: Predicting return to work following low-back pain
What factors affect how long it will take workers to return to work following an episode of acute low-back pain? A just-completed systematic review from the Institute for Work & Health points to a number of them, including workers’ recovery expectations and their interactions with health-care practitioners.
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Research Highlights
Changing work conditions in three provinces
A study examining changes in work conditions in three provinces between 1994 and 2003-2005 finds lower levels of job satisfaction, lower levels of decision authority and co-worker support, and higher likelihood of rotating shifts and long hours.
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Research Highlights
Changes in physiotherapy use for MSDs highlight inequality of access
Physiotherapy use and costs to treat musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) at a large Ontario workplace increased substantially over a 10-year period. The potential exists for unequal access to physiotherapy services among workers not privately insured or covered by their workplaces.
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Research Highlights
The role of health-care providers in complicated claims
Problematic interactions among health-care providers, injured workers and workers’ compensation boards may delay the return to work of injured workers with complicated claims. The result can be frustration, financial difficulties and mental health problems for injured workers.
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Research Highlights
Ontario youth work injury rate declining more steeply, converging with adult rate
From 1999 to 2007, the lost-time claim rate for young Ontario workers (ages 15 to 24) declined more steeply than the adult rate, and as a result the two rates are converging.
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Research Highlights
Precarious employment may affect worker health
A longitudinal study of a representative sample of Canadian workers finds certain work characteristics are linked with precarious employment and put workers at increased risk of poor physical health.
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Research Highlights
Work absenteeism and recurrent neck pain
A small but important minority—14 per cent—of injured workers experience recurrent neck pain, accounting for 40 per cent of all lost-time days due to neck pain, according to a study of claims made to Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
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Issue Briefing
A patchwork quilt: Income security for Canadians with disabilities
This Issue Briefing draws attention to the policy challenge of coordinating and aligning both the goals and the administration of at least seven different disability income security programs in Canada.
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At Work article
How modified work affects disability outcomes in long-term care
There is some evidence that modified work for injured workers in Ontario’s long-term care sector was associated with a lower burden of disability, according to an Institute for Work & Health (IWH) study.
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At Work article
IWH provides expertise to Ministry of Labour panel
The Institute for Work & Health (IWH) has been providing research expertise to a Ministry of Labour panel tasked with reviewing Ontario’s health and safety prevention and enforcement system.
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At Work article
IWH snapshot: Twenty years in the making
Find out how the Institute for Work & Health has grown from a small organization to a global leader in work-health research.
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At Work article
Grant round-up: IWH research gets the green light
Scientists typically need two key components to carry out research: a well-grounded research proposal and strong financial support. Here is a scan of what’s recently been given the green light.
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