Workplace back injuries

For workers with workplace back injuries, doctor-patient communication – especially advice on when the patient is ready to return to work – has a significant impact on the length of disability time, suggests a study in the June Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

Led by Lisa K. Dasinger, PhD, of the Public Health Institute in Berkeley, Calif., the researchers found that patients whose doctors used a proactive communication style were more likely to return to work within the first month after a back injury. Proactive communication included giving the patient information on work restriction, job changes, or behaviours necessary to heal the current injury and prevent future ones.

However, the benefits of proactive communication disappeared once the patient’s injury and workload characteristics were taken into consideration. A better outcome was the doctor’s advice that the patient was ready to return to work. Patients who received such advice early on were about 60 percent more likely to return to work within the first month after an injury, and less likely to go on disability for a prolonged period.

The findings were based on a three-year review of 325 patients who had a low-back injury resulting in lost work time. Workplace low back pain is an extremely common and expensive problem.

Although doctor-patient communication is believed to have an important impact on return to work after workplace injuries, few studies have addressed this issue. These results suggest that a clear message from the doctor, telling patients specifically when they are ready to return to work, is particularly important.

However, the researchers emphasize that doctor-patient communication alone – without ergonomic and organizational changes in the workplace – is not enough to minimize low back injuries.