Chronic Pain Study One of the most comprehensive studies ever done on work-related chronic pain has resulted in guidelines that will help workers and employers reach healthier outcomes in the workplace. The two-year, independent study was commissioned by the WSIB, and was carried out by scientific experts and representatives from Ontario’s employer and worker communities. The report contains four recommendations that will be implemented by the WSIB: 1. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Act and the WSIB will treat chronic pain the same way they treat any other injury. 2. The WSIB will investigate and report on the panels’ recommendations for more effective treatment, management, and return to work strategies, and a revised approach to rating permanent impairment. 3. The WSIB will conduct a review in five years to assess the effectiveness of any prevention and management strategies that were implemented as a result of the Initiative, any new scientific evidence about the work-relatedness of chronic pain, and any developments in the courts concerning compensation law. 4. The WSIB will support continued research into the treatment and management of chronic pain. View a copy of the final Chronic Pain Report (289k, pdf). To obtain copies of the Report of the Chronic Pain Policy Advisory Panel and the Report of the Chronic Pain Expert Advisory Panel, both published February 2000, call 416-344-4365 or e-mail modpb@wsib.on.ca