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Work Accommodation in Musculoskeletal Disorders: Current Challenges and Future Directions in Research and Practice

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Book cover Handbook of Musculoskeletal Pain and Disability Disorders in the Workplace

Part of the book series: Handbooks in Health, Work, and Disability ((SHHDW))

Abstract

Work accommodations have been shown to be effective to assist injured workers to return to work (RTW) and have grown in usage by employers, workers' compensation and insurance systems. As such there is a large body of RTW and emerging accommodations research that is often difficult to analyze, compare and synthesis. This chapter reviews the accommodation research from any research discipline that addresses the intersection of RTW and accommodations with a concentration on factors affecting RTW for workplace-injured workers with musculoskeletal disorders. Organization and distinction of the work accommodation research clarifies the large body of research. The importance of key stakeholders and the social factors that influence RTW accommodations are also highlighted. More research is needed in the work accommodation process toward developing evidence-based practice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, University of British Columbia, New Westminster, BC, Canada

    Hanah C. Kwan

  2. Counselling Psychology Program, Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology and Special Education, University of British Columbia, 2125 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4

    Izabela Z. Schultz Ph.D., A.B.P.P.

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  1. Hanah C. Kwan
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Correspondence to Hanah C. Kwan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA

    Robert J. Gatchel

  2. Dept of Educational and Counseling Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Izabela Z. Schultz

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Kwan, H.C., Schultz, I.Z. (2014). Work Accommodation in Musculoskeletal Disorders: Current Challenges and Future Directions in Research and Practice. In: Gatchel, R., Schultz, I. (eds) Handbook of Musculoskeletal Pain and Disability Disorders in the Workplace. Handbooks in Health, Work, and Disability. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0612-3_23

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