Day 1
I met with the Injured worker (IW) over the phone to complete a phone consultation.
Our meeting occurred 6 days after the date of injury at work.
I learned the following key history
The IW is a registered nurse.
On the Date of Injury, the IW was kicked in the abdomen by a violent patient who was being treated at the hospital where she works. The force caused the IW to fly back 5 feet into a linen cart.
IW was seen at on site ER and referred to a trauma doctor following X-ray and CT imaging.
There was some concern regarding internal bleeding.
IW was discharged home and directed to follow up with her PCP.
The IW expressed anxiety about returning to work while the same patient who assaulted her remained in the hospital.
The IW filed a police report against the patient who assaulted her.
The IW voiced concerns about the employer’s ability to maintain a safe work environment and what could be done to address this.
The IW reported no past medical history of abdomen injury or treatment. The IW reported seeing a therapist in the past for anxiety.
Issues that were identified from the intake
- There was no off work note in place and IW was expected to report back to work the day following our phone consult.
- The injured worker was concerned about getting paid if she could not work.
- The injured worker reported her anxiety about returning to work was greater than her current abdominal pain.
IW accepted representation and returned the papers via e-mail the same day as the intake.
Plan of Action
IW was to set up ASAP appointment with her primary care doctor to address ability to return to work from both physical and mental health perspective. If excused off work at said appointment with PCP the IW was to provide me with an immediate off work note.
IW was encouraged to schedule an appointment with her therapist to address her injury and anxiety about RTW.
IW had the option if reporting unsafe work practices to OSHA but that the Illinois work comp remedy would not address her overall safety concerns at work.
