Project ECHO Occupational and Environmental Medicine: A Qualitative Study of HealthCare Providers Supporting Workers with Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses.
Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia, Leslie Carlin, Andrea D Furlan and 6 others
PMID 39825986WHAT IT FOUND
Providers said WSIB delays, unclear forms and hard-to-reach adjudicators erode worker trust and slow return to work.
In ECHO sessions, they described new tools and communication strategies, while still wanting clearer guidelines and faster approvals.
Key findings
01Healthcare providers described WSIB call centre delays, paperwork errors, and unpredictable claim approval times as barriers to safe return to work.
02Functional assessments that clarify lifting limits and workplace restrictions could be rejected by WSIB case managers, leaving providers unable to set accommodations.
03Participants described learning about return-to-work tools and communication strategies in ECHO OEM sessions, while saying WSIB delays and paperwork remained difficult.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included 28 healthcare and occupational health practitioners, and it reports their experiences rather than patient recovery or claim outcomes. Seven participants self-reported living in remote/remote regions, while most were from suburban or urban areas, so rural and remote provider views may be limited. Focus groups and in-depth interviews were chosen partly for convenience, so some participants may not have had the same opportunity to speak. The authors note that rural participants may have suppressed their views in focus groups dominated by suburban or urban respondents. The paper does not report objective outcomes for workers, employers, or WSIB claims.
Declared interests
The funder named is the Workplace and Insurance Board’s Research and Grants Program.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that Project ECHO improves return-to-work outcomes. It reports themes from 28 healthcare providers about their experiences, not worker recovery or claim results.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →