1. Program schedule

Return to work and disability management

Session details

Date:

Time:

12:00pm - 1:30pm (Toronto time)

Location:

Zoom videoconferencing

Didactic presentation by:

Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia

Session objectives

At the end of this session, participants should be able to:

  1. Explain the role of allied health practitioners in return to work and disability management
  2. Recognize resources for suitable workplace accommodations through a biopsychosocial framework
  3. Summarize the "Seven principles for successful return to work”

Session resources

13 Factors: Addressing Mental Health in the Workplace
The Mental Health Commission of Canada, in partnership with Ottawa Public Health, adapted content from The Mindful Employer, to develop a series of short animated videos that aim to raise awareness around the 13 factors that can impact the mental health of employees in the workplace and encourage conversations on methods for promoting psychologically safe places to work. Source: Mental Health Commission of Canada
Learn more
American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) guideline: Preventing Needless Work Disability by Helping People Stay Employed
This report focuses on the large number of people who, due to a medical condition that should normally result in only a few days of work absence, end up withdrawing from work either permanently or for prolonged periods. From 2006 but still relevant. Source: American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Learn more
Didactic presentation: Return to work and disability management
In this presentation, Dr. Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia explains the role of allied health practitioners in return to work and disability management, key principles for successful return to work, and identifying resources for suitable workplace accommodations.
Download the PDF(865.57 KB)
Guideline for concussion/mild traumatic brain injury & prolonged symptoms, 3rd edition
The Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation (ONF) initiated this project in 2008 with the overall objective to create a guideline that can be used by healthcare professionals to implement evidence-based, best-practice care of individuals who incur a mTBI and experience prolonged symptoms. Source: Concussion Ontario
Learn more
How Does Acceptance And Commitment Therapy (ACT) Work?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. Source: Positive Psychology
Learn more
Living concussion guidelines: Return-to-activity/work/school considerations
Current evidence indicates graded resumption of regular pre-injury activities as tolerated (i.e., in a manner that does not result in a significant or prolonged exacerbation of symptoms), within the first few days to weeks post-injury should be encouraged because, regardless of symptomatic status, activity is more likely to speed up rather than delay recovery. Source: Concussion Ontario
Learn more
Psychological health and safety in the workplace: Prevention, promotion, and guidance to staged implementation
This Standard specifies requirements for a documented and systematic approach to develop and sustain a psychologically healthy and safe workplace, and provides complimentary information in Annexes A to G. This Standard provides a framework to create and continually improve a psychologically healthy and safe workplace. Source: CSA Group
Learn more
Working with the Employer: The Sherbrooke Model
The Sherbrooke model on barriers to return to work is built around back pain disability, but is generalizable to all forms of work disability. Source: Springer
Learn more

About presenter

Dr. Behdin Nowrouzi-Kia is an occupational therapist and assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science at the University of Toronto, where he also holds the inaugural Emily Geldsaler Grant Early Career Professorship in Workplace Mental Health.

Through an occupational lens, his research program is a systematic study of work disability prevention, return to work and disability management. His approach is designed to produce results directly applicable to identifying and assessing risk, and to developing interventions for preventing or improving high-risk behaviours in the workplace.

Nowrouzi-Kia’s work is motivated by efforts in work disability prevention that extend beyond efforts to prevent or cure diseases from a purely physical perspective to more holistic approaches. The major tenets of his work use a biopsychosocial perspective to understand work disability and incorporate personal characteristics (e.g. psychosocial) and environmental (e.g., health-care system, workplace, workers’ compensation system) factors in improving health outcomes.

Case presentations

Most of the learning in ECHO happens through presenting and discussing case presentations. If you have a case you would like to present, please submit a completed case presentation form to the ECHO OEM project coordinator.

Physicians presenting a case may bill OHIP for case conferences (billing codes K707 or K701).