Proposed policy amendments regarding prior shoulder dislocations

At their meeting on September 18, 2017, WorkSafeBC’s Board of Directors approved the release of a discussion paper with options, a narrative review of the scientific literature, and proposed policy amendments to stakeholders for comment.

Policy on prior shoulder dislocations is longstanding. The scientific basis of the policy had been identified as requiring scientific review. The PRRD therefore commissioned a scientific review to determine:

  • The duration of recurrence-free status that is likely to signify clinical stability in a previously traumatically dislocated shoulder
  • Whether evidence supports the assumption that prompt reduction of a shoulder dislocation is associated with less (or minimal) disablement from work
  • If evidence suggests that disability after a recurrent shoulder dislocation is generally limited to two weeks

At issue is whether current policy on prior shoulder dislocations is supported by scientific evidence.

The discussion paper, draft policies, and information on how to provide feedback can be accessed through the following link:

Proposed policy amendments regarding prior shoulder dislocations

The consultation period for this item will end at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, January 12, 2018. All stakeholder feedback received will be carefully reviewed, analyzed, and provided to the Board of Directors to consider as part of their decision-making process.

Please note that COCA will be submitting comments on behalf of members. If you are making a submission on behalf of your own organization or company or would like to provide input to COCA’s response, please email to dave@cocabc.ca.