Work Status Reports

The objective of most rehabilitation programmes is to return patients to gainful employment, either with their pre-accident employer or in new employment. A well-timed return to work can be essential in assisting the physical recovery and emotional well-being of the patient.

In cases where the accident that caused the injury is employment-related, we believe an essential first step is to contact the employer and discuss their understanding of the accident and injury. The objective of this initial contact is to establish facts that could have an immediate bearing on return to work. These typically include:

• Incident and injury details
• Occupational information including the physical, cognitive and psychosocial demands of the patient’s job
• Absence information
• Return-to-work process

This provides us with vital occupational information for managing and setting objectives for the patient’s ongoing rehabilitation. Early liaison also benefits by:

• Setting the foundation for vocational rehabilitation,
• Managing expectations and realistic return-to-work timeframes for the employer
• Extending our team rehabilitation philosophy to include the employer and their occupational health teams