The less pain, the more everyone gains

It is estimated that one in five Australians suffer from persistent pain, and the lives of a third (more than one million) of these people suffer substantial interference to their lives. The financial cost to Australia is estimated to be more than $10 billion per year.

Through our CGU workers’ compensation and NRMA Insurance Compulsory Third Party (CTP) businesses, we manage claims on behalf of approximately 45,000 injured workers and people injured in motor vehicle accidents.

“We believe that, by identifying and referring the appropriate injured people to pain-management programs early, we can shorten many of our claims and help injured people lead more fulfilling lives,” says Jan Smith, Medical Development Manager.

“If a person is injured in a motor or workplace accident, the fear that any physical activity could aggravate their injury or result in a new one is quite overpowering. This can result in inactivity, which frequently makes things worse,” says Jan.

“Pain management is often used as a last resort. If “at risk” individuals – who may develop chronic pain symptoms – are identified early for pain management intervention, we believe they may recover much faster.”

To this end, our Workers’ Compensation and CTP businesses have decided to support research into chronic pain management in order to learn more about the benefits of early intervention. The findings are to be shared with our employees, the insurance industry and the broader community.

The project will be delivered over five years, in partnership with the Pain Management and Research Institute (PMRI) at the University of Sydney and Royal North Shore Hospital.

“Our goal is to raise awareness of chronic pain behaviour and manage it appropriately,” says Jan. “We may be paying more up front for people to go through the pain management program, but we believe it will lead to a better health outcome and a shorter claim duration – which is better for us and for our customers.”