The Return-To-Work Coordinator Role: Qualitative Insights for Nursing

Abstract

Introduction Few studies have examined the role of RTW Coordination from the perspective of RTW Coordinator's. Furthermore there is little health specific literature on returning injured nurses to work despite the critical workforce shortages of these professionals. The study aimed to examine barriers and facilitators identified by the RTW Coordinator to returning injured nurses to work and influences on specific health sector or geographic location. The study sought to gain insights into the professional backgrounds and everyday work practices of RTW Coordinators. METHOD Five focus groups were conducted in metropolitan and rural areas of NSW, Australia. Twenty-five RTW Coordinators from 14 different organisations participated in the study. The focus groups included participants representing different health sectors (aged, disability, public and private hospital and community health). RESULTS The data analysis identified information pertaining to the qualifications and backgrounds of RTW Coordinators; the role of RTW Coordinators' within organisational structures; a range of technical knowledge and personal qualities for RTW Coordination and important elements of the case management style used to facilitate RTW. CONCLUSIONS The findings identified a wide range of professional backgrounds that RTW Coordinators bring to the role and the impact of organisational structures on the ability to effectively undertake RTW responsibilities. The study found that interpersonal skills of RTW Coordinators may be more important to facilitate RTW than a healthcare background. A collaborative case management style was also highlighted and the difficulties associated with juggling conflicts of interest, multiple organisational roles and the emotional impact of the work.

Practices of Return-to-Work Coordinators Working in Large Organizations

“…Furthermore, good communication skills and the ability to safeguard confidentiality, show empathy and establish a climate of trust were identified as necessary in the context of RTW processes. A similar study published in 2014 [16] and conducted among Australian RTW coordinators involved in the development and implementation of policies and procedures within organizations operating in different sectors, yielded results consistent with those of James et al [15].…”

“…In another study, conducted in Australia with 25 RTW coordinators responsible for the return to work of injured nurses, James et al [15] identified certain points made during group discussions to the effect that personal attributes such as the ability to gain people's trust, to be a positive leader and to adequately manage conflicts were deemed as important, if not more important, than having knowledge of the worker compensation system and the impact of absences on the organization, or than having medical expertise or expertise in ergonomics. Furthermore, good communication skills and the ability to safeguard confidentiality, show empathy and establish a climate of trust were identified as necessary in the context of RTW processes.…”

“…However, the competencies were gleaned either from studies of interventions [6] or researchers with knowledge of RTW coordination [13], or were identified by individuals clearly concerned about work absences but not playing a significant role in RTW coordination [12]. Pransky et al [14], James et al [15] and Bohatko-Naismith et al [16] all interviewed RTW coordinators but focused specifically on the importance that the coordinators placed on the various competencies and personal attributes likely to facilitate the RTW process. Lastly, none of the authors [6,[12][13][14] defined the actual concept of competency, with the result that it sometimes refers to more or less concrete tasks or activities, and at others, to what appear to be personal qualities or aptitudes or to knowledge per se.…”

How policy on employee involvement in work reintegration can yield its opposite: employee experiences in a Canadian setting

“…However, the employees do not experience this is indeed happening. Difficulties on the DMP to have a central role in a multiactor arena in care are also reported in other studies [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. More research on the DMP perspective is necessary.…”

Implementing a collaborative return-to-work program: Lessons from a qualitative study in a large Canadian healthcare organization

“…However, it is thought that it is the coordination itself, and the personal characteristics of the RTWC, rather than the specific background of the coordinator that is important to a smooth and early RTW [3, 10]. RTWCs can be employed in different ways; some are full-time RTWCs employed specifically for this role, and others take it on with only a small proportion of their work time committed to the RTWC role [11, 12]. …”