Scoping review of claimants’ experiences within Australian workers’ compensation systems

Objective: The aim of this scoping review was to map the literature on the lived experiences of injured workersin Australia in order to better understand the factors that inhibit the transition back to work and improved health. Theultimate aim of the study was to identify areas for further research into workers’ compensation systems and practices thatare associated with improved occupational rehabilitation outcomes.Methods: PubMed, ProQuest, Embase and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL)were searched for eligible articles published in English in peer-reviewed journals from 2001 to 2017. Narrative datasynthesis was used to analyse the data collected from included articles.Results: Twelve articles examining injured workers’ experiences within Australian workers’ compensation systemswere identified. Injured workers reported similar experiences across states and territories in Australia. Four commonthemes and three subthemes were noted, namely: (1) relationships and interactions; (2) injured workers’ perceptions(subthemes: mental health effects, social effects and financial effects); (3) the workers’ compensation process; and(4) independent medical evaluations.Conclusions: There are common difficulties that injured workers experience within Australian workers’ compensationsystems that are reported to impede rehabilitation and return to work. A less harmful, more cooperative approachto worker rehabilitation and compensation is needed