To Best Treat a Worker’s Injury, Look for a Broken Spirit, Not Just a Broken Bone
When someone gets hurt on the job, the workers’ compensation system is often adept at zeroing in on an injury and delivering timely care. But that well-intentioned focus on a patient’s physical bruises can make it easy to miss the mental ones, which might be harder to spot.
To achieve the best outcomes and get someone back to work with minimal delay, it’s wise to focus on the whole person, including whatever mental-health toll the episode might be exacting. Failing to do so risks treating only part of an injury and achieving an insufficient recovery.
Today, a comprehensive approach that identifies and meets an injured worker’s needs is more important than ever because the coronavirus pandemic is blanketing everyday life with added stresses that threaten to imperil a worker’s recovery.