As many as three in ten people who suffer a personal injury do not recover as quickly as might be expected due to psychological reasons, according to research from the IUA and the ABI.
The study, produced for the IUA/ABI rehabilitation working party, said that between 20% and 30% of personal injury outcomes are aggravated in some way by psychological factors.
It said that is approximately 5% to 10% of cases psychological factors turn minor physical injuries into serious problems.
“Whenever a claimant comes forward with an injury that you would expect to clear up quickly, a back sprain or whiplash, for example, it is important to bear in mind that it could become considerably worse for perfectly genuine psychological reasons,” said panel chair and Motor Insurers Bureau chief executive Ashton West.
“Recognising these cases early and delivering appropriate interventions can prevent them from becoming unduly expensive.”
The report acknowledges that it would be impractical for insurers, solicitors or rehabilitation case managers to actively consider the psychological aspects of every personal injury case at the outset, said the IUA and ABI.
But they stressed that insurers should consider the impact of psychological factors on claims and seek to develop tools for better case management within their current claims framework.
“Simply knowing that psychology has the potential to influence all types of injury cases is a good start,” said Dr Andrew Auty, who co-ordinated the research.
“We favour a stepped approach, where the level of psychological intervention increases as and when it becomes necessary.”
IUA/ABI rehabilitation working party chair Eamon Brown said :“The approach set out in the report will be good for injured people and good for their insurers.”
Copies of the report, Psychology, Personal Injury & Rehabilitation, can be obtained free of charge from the IUA
