Knowledge and Use of The ‘Clinical Framework For the Delivery of Health Services’ in Western Australia: Summary report of a survey of Workers’ Compensation stakeholders

Abstract

The Clinical Framework for the Delivery of Health Services (Clinical Framework) provides guiding principles for the management of injured works based on contemporary evidence. As part of an “Injured Worker Symposium” hosted by Curtin University in March this year, 161 stakeholders from variety of roles, who deal with injured workers in the Western Australian Workers’ Compensation sector, completed an online questionnaire. This questionnaire collected stakeholder perspectives regarding the Clinical Framework, barriers and enablers for timely recovery of injured workers, and understanding of the biopsychosocial management of workers with musculoskeletal pain disorders. The study found that 43% of respondents were ‘not familiar’ with the Clinical Framework. Another 32% were only ‘somewhat familiar’. This suggests that further work is required to educate stake holders on the existence and utility of the Clinical Framework. There was strong agreement among the different stakeholder groups regarding the key importance of communication between stakeholders and the employer-employee relationship to the recovery of injured workers. While this is a preliminary survey and the results need to be interpreted with some caution, the findings of the survey support that further stakeholder education is required in a number of areas related to the Clinical Framework. This document provides a summary and interpretation of the survey results and recommendations for further research and education, based on the findings of the study.