In the Superintendent's report on the Five Year Review released in 2009, a recommendation was made to develop a treatment protocol for minor injuries that reflects current scientific and medical literature. This recommendation was accepted by the government and confirmed in the 2012 Ontario Budget where, it was acknowledged that newer scientific and evidence-based approaches can be applied to the treatment of minor injuries resulting from automobile accidents.
In fulfilling this recommendation, Dr. Pierre Côté, Associate Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, was awarded the consulting contract to develop the Minor Injury Treatment Protocol (MITP) after an open competitive RFP process.
Scientists and other experts will contribute to the development of an evidence-based Minor Injury Treatment Protocol (MITP) that will form the basis of a new Minor Injury Guideline, subject to approval from the government. Once approved, the MITP will be used by insurers and health care providers when treating minor injuries resulting from automobile accidents and ensure that there is an extensive continuum of care based on current scientific and medical evidence.
The MITP will include clinical prediction rules to screen for patients who may be at higher risk for developing chronic pain and disability. In addition, it will focus on treatment outcomes and provide health care providers with numerous milestones that could be used to measure progress.