Background: Little is known about how healthcare providers (HCPs) in Canada manage mental health claims and the return to work (RTW) of injured workersOBJECTIVE:To examine HCPs' experience and challenges on the treatment of mental health conditions (MHCs) in the context of Workers' Compensation (WC) processes and their involvement in RTW.
Methods: Ninety-seven interviews with HCPs (general practitioners, n = 59; allied HCPs, n = 19; specialists, n = 19) were conducted in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Newfoundland. A thematic content analysis was used to analyze interviews.
Results: HCPs reported that while RTW is extolled at virtually all costs by WC boards, they did not always see it as beneficial. Most HCPs were convinced that successful recovery and RTW depend on being aware of how mental and physical health is intertwined and treating both issues. Organizational barriers within WC processes and adversarial relationships between injured workers (IWs) and WC boards made it difficult for HCPs to adequately treat patients and facilitate RTW. Dealing with IWs' MHCs and their emotional distress due to 'going through WC systems' was challenging.
Conclusions: WC boards must identify how policies can be modified to mitigate compensation processes and RTW for WC claimants with MHC.
Keywords: Mental health claims; qualitative methodology; return to work; sickness absence; stigma.