None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The Victorian WorkCover Authority (VWA) is an injury compensation system in the state of Victoria, Australia which provides financial, as well as health and related support, to Victorian workers who have sustained an occupational injury. In 2014, VWA introduced a compensation claims process change for key elective surgical procedures. The aim of the proposed research is to determine whether the compensation claims process change improved injured workers' perception of the service quality of the compensation claims process, as well as whether the compensation claims process change reduced injured workers' time away from work and compensation claims costs, and improved injured workers' ratings of health-related quality of life.
Interventions
The Victorian WorkCover Authority (VWA) is an injury compensation system in the state of Victoria, Australia which provides financial, as well as health and related support, to Victorian workers who have sustained an occupational injury. On April 14th 2014, VWA introduced a compensation claims process change for approval of selected elective surgical procedures. Following this policy change, injured workers' selected elective surgical procedure requests were automatically approved.
Sponsors
Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Injured workers will be identified within a workers' compensation scheme within the state of Victoria, Australia who have undergone selected elective surgical procedures BEFORE and AFTER the introduction of a compensation claims process change (1st January 2014-13th April 2014; 14th April 2014-31st July 2014, respectively). Examples of selected elective surgical procedures include: Internal fixation to treat fractures, hernia repair, carpal tunnel surgery, knee arthroscopic surgery etc.
Exclusion criteria
Individuals who are unable to provide informed consent (diminished understanding or comprehension, or a language other than English spoken and an interpreter unavailable).
Outcome results
None listed