Australian general practitioners' perspective on the role of the workplace Return-to-Work Coordinator

Abstract

General practitioners (GPs) play a key role in the return-to-work process, and yet their experiences working with workplace Return-to-Work Coordinators (RTWCs) have rarely been studied. The aim of this paper is to provide insights from the GP perspective about their experiences with workplace RTWCs and their preparedness for the role. GPs from Australian states and territories where legislation mandates workplaces employ a RTWC were requested to complete a questionnaire on their experiences with workplace RTWCs. Fifty GPs completed a questionnaire on the preparedness of RTWCs in relation to their role, with 58% (n=29) indicating RTWCs require more training. A total of 78% (n=39) of respondents considered RTWCs were important in assisting injured workers return to work, with 98% (n=49) ranking trustworthiness, respectfulness and ethicalness as the most important or an important trait for a RTWC to possess. Interestingly, 40% (n=20) of respondents themselves reported having no training in the return-to-work process. GPs acknowledge the importance of the workplace RTWC in the return-to-work process, and the results highlight the need for RTWCs to possess specific traits and undergo appropriate training for the facilitation of a successful return to work for injured workers.

Coordination of return-to-work for employees on sick leave due to common mental disorders: facilitators and barriers

“…The need for relevant knowledge is included in the domain "characteristics of individuals" and the construct "knowledge and beliefs about the intervention" in CFIR [30]. The diversity of professional backgrounds and training among coordinators in this study are previously demonstrated [12,[15][16][17][18]. This study indicates that the coordinators based their approach on experience from their professional background.…”

“…This study contributes to the previous literature on coordination of RTW [12][13][14][15][16][17][18] by exploring facilitators and barriers across multiple levels of systems and organizations. Examples of facilitators were: a perceived advantage and positive attitudes toward coordination; an open dialogue between health care, the employee and the employer; leadership engagement and routines for the RTW process at the PCC; and collegial alliances.…”

“…Bohatko-Naismith [18] and Durand [15] argue that coordinators should be health care professionals, while the study by K€ arkk€ ainen et al [13] found that many coordinators had a background in human resources. Moreover, a large number of skills and personal characteristics that are important for coordinators are identified in research [16][17][18]. However, to the best of our knowledge there is a lack of research evaluating coordinator competencies in relation to improvements in sick leave and RTW outcome.…”

“…Challenges to the integration of RTW services between stakeholders are well documented in international [8,9] and Swedish research [10,11]. As a response to this, coordination of RTW is increasingly recognised and included in private initiatives or policy changes [12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Coordination of RTW vary greatly in terms of the type of setting in which the coordinators are employed [12,15], the level of coordination (e.g.…”

“…across levels of systems and organizations, or within one level of a system or organization) [14,15]. Coordinators are employed by health care organisations, insurance companies, large organisations, or are self-employed [15,16,18] and the professional background and training of individuals employed as coordinators varies [15][16][17][18].…”