Affiliations: Institute for Work & Health, Toronto, ON,
Canada
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Ellen MacEachen, Institute for Work
& Health, 481 University Avenue, Suite 800, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5G
2E9. Tel.: +1 416 927 2027 Ext. 2136; Fax: +1 416 927 4167; E-mail:
emaceachen@iwh.on.ca
Abstract: Some workers who are injured at work have unexpectedly prolonged
absences from work. Experiences of workers who constitute a disproportionate
cost to the return-to-work system and the systemic and compliance-related
barriers they encounter during the process of returning to work are reported. A
qualitative interview based study was conducted with 37 members of three
injured worker peer support groups in a Canadian province. Four dimensions of
peer support were identified: worker experience of being misunderstood by
system providers, need for advocates, social support, help with procedural
complexities of the workers' compensation, and health care systems. Peer
support constitutes a partial return-to-work solution for workers with
injuries, but injured workers encounter an uneven playing field. Injured worker
peer support group needs and activities show us that sensitivity to structural
and social issues may lead to better return-to-work outcomes.
Keywords: Canadian workers' compensation, self-reliance, interactionist theory
