News Release Archive
WORKERS COMPENSATION BOARD--PROGRAM TO HELP WORKERS-CHRONIC PAIN ----------------------------------------------------------------- A new program and policy aimed at preventing and managing chronic pain was announced today by the Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia (WCB). "This is a new and innovative approach," said Dr. Robert Elgie, chair of the WCB. "We are now directing prevention services and support to help injured workers avoid and manage chronic pain." The new program has two phases. During the first phase, injured workers who are at high risk of developing chronic pain are supported with pain management and prevention services. Where necessary, this initial phase may be followed by a second phase of a more intensive program of services lasting up to four weeks. "Our main goal is to give injured workers and their families the support they need to make the transition to working and living with pain that may not go away," said Dr. Elgie. "We want to stop long-term pain before it starts and we want to help workers manage their pain before it reaches a stage where it's unmanageable." The WCB's new program will run as a pilot program over the next three years. Injured workers who are within one year of the date of their accident, or those who have been approved for, and are awaiting, a permanent award from the WCB may be considered for the program. Both phases of the program involve active participation in a return-to-work program. This will include advice and information on appropriate medication usage, psychological services and counselling, and physical conditioning. The emphasis is on helping injured workers deal with their pain and re-enter the workforce. In keeping with past practice, the WCB will not provide longer-term compensation for chronic pain. "The best way to deal with chronic pain is through an intensive support program that focuses on pain prevention, pain management and returning to work," said Dr. Elgie. "Long-term compensation for chronic pain is not the answer. We are working toward real, lasting solutions." The WCB's policy and program are based on one-and-a-half years of research and consultation, including a major review of the medical literature conducted in 1994. The policy was approved by the WCB's Board of Directors, which has equal representation from Nova Scotia's labour and management communities. The new policy is now included in the regulations of the Workers' Compensation Act. Chronic pain is defined as pain that persists beyond the normal recovery time for a particular injury, but for which there is no significant, objective evidence that the injury has not healed. In the case of workers' compensation claims, chronic pain develops after a workplace accident -- usually a soft-tissue injury such as a lower back strain, sprain or contusion. However, research has proven that it is difficult to trace the cause to a specific injury or accident. Rather, chronic pain is a complex condition that results from a variety of factors. Chronic pain is not continuing pain related to an injury that has not healed, or to an ongoing identifiable condition resulting from the injury that is supported by significant, objective physical findings (for example, a poorly healed fracture, nerve damage, or post-traumatic arthritis). The WCB's new chronic pain program will result in an initial increase in costs, but future savings resulting from this program will cover these costs and the WCB's funding strategy will not be jeopardized, said WCB chief executive officer David Stuewe. -30- Contact: donalee Moulton 902-424-8339 trp Mar. 26, 1996 - 1:28 p.m.