Unique research confirms workers make fewer claims for psychological illnesses, even though their GP had determined the illness was work related.
This study is interesting given the recent significant increases in psychological claims and subsequent cost impacts associated with those claims. We know that many injuries go un-reported in Australia, but this research opens a window into understanding just how much and where further research could be targeted.
The study was conducted by researchers at the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR), a joint venture between Monash University, WorkSafe Victoria and the Transport Accident Commission, and the University of Sydney.
It examined 486,400 general practitioner (GP) consultations around Australia recorded in the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) research program between April 2004 and March 2009. In these consultations, the doctor recorded whether the patient's health problem was work-related and whether the visit was being claimed through workers' compensation. ISCRR's Chief Research Officer, Dr Alex Collie, who conceived the research, said that over 22 per cent of workers didn't make compensation claims even though their GP had determined that the illness was work-related.
Read more here.
