Patients who have been off work or on alternate work duties for a prolonged time following injury need a structured approach to resolve their work issues. I recommend using the following algorithm for patients who have delayed recovery / delayed return to work following injury with:
| No current or potential indications for surgery related to injury |
| No current diagnosis for which activity would directly injure patient |
| Work safety-liability or performance capability concerns. |
Goals are to avoid prolonged time off work, avoid subjecting the patient to unnecessary or unhelpful tests, surgery or other treatment. In some cases, persistent symptoms must simply be accepted.