A discussion of the 1995 Quebec Task Force study on whiplash injury

During the 1980s, it was noted that more and more people in Canada were complaining of whiplash injuries after car accidents. However, what was also noted was that despite a host of studies, not that much was known about how best to treat whiplash injury patients.

At the request of a Canadian car insurance society, the Quebec Task Force was set up in 1991. It consisted of a panel of experts from across the world that convened to review and draw conclusions from the existing documentation about whiplash injury.

Whiplash injury diagnosis and treatment during the 1980s
The Quebec Task Force hoped to reach a solution for three problems which were facing medical professionals in Canada at that time.

The first problem identified was that the term "whiplash" was being used imprecisely and in a rising number of cases. It was suspected that doctors did not have a clear understanding as to what it actually meant to have a whiplash injury and as a result were diagnosing it in patients too frequently.

An additional issue for the medical profession was that the average whiplash injury recovery period was growing at a shocking rate. In 1989, someone with whiplash injury would take an average of 38 days more days to recover than someone in 1987. This was considered to be because the history of the disorder was unknown and people did not have expectations to which they had to conform.

The final problem for Canadian medical professionals was that treatments for whiplash injury were being inconsistently applied. There were a wide variety of therapies that could be used to treat the condition and it was impossible to know which would be recommended by any given doctor.

Results of the study
In 1995, the results of the Quebec Task Force's research review were revealed. The experts had managed to draw up a grade system of whiplash injury severity by which sufferers could be classified. Thus, using this system, patients would all receive standard treatment as opposed to the rather haphazard approach that was being used at that time.

The five grades of whiplash injury decided upon by the Quebec Task Force are as follows:

• Grade 0: The patient does not complain of any pain or stiffness and there is no sign of physical neck injury

• Grade I: The patient complains of pain, stiffness or tenderness in the neck and there is no sign of physical neck injury.

• Grade II: The patient complains of a neck injury and there are one or more signs of musculoskeletal damage.

• Grade III: The patient complains of a neck injury and there are one or more signs of neurological damage.

• Grade IV:. The patient complains of a neck injury and there is evidence of fracture or dislocation.

Problems with the Quebec Task Force study
As a major piece of academic research into whiplash injury, the Quebec Task Force's report has been examined by many people in the same field. There have been several problems which have been raised, mostly regarding the methodology that was used in the study.

The Quebec Task Force has come under criticism for basing their recommendations more on consensus amongst experts than on the outcome of the research review. This was a result of a large proportion of the existing research being of such poor quality that it could not be used in the review.

It is claimed that the decisions they came to in some parts of the report were baseless in terms of experimental evidence and were only reached through theory or discussion.

Another criticism of the Quebec Task Force report was that the experts exhibited a selection bias when choosing which reports should be included in the study and which should be excluded on methodological grounds.

Despite this, the report made progress into the field of whiplash injury and an updated version was published in 2001 by Australian researchers. Read the 2001 Quebec Task Force Guidelines.

Getting compensation for a whiplash injury
If you are one of the thousands of people in the UK who have sustained a whiplash injury through no fault of your own in the last three years, we may be able to help you make a compensation claim.

Whether you have been involved in a car accident, a motorcycle accident, a sporting accident or any other, our personal injury solicitors have the expertise to help you get maximum compensation for your whiplash injury. They have an excellent success rate and are all members of the Law Society Personal Injury Panel.

You do not have to worry about paying any bills when you make a whiplash injury claim with us. You will be protected from all costs and fees, no matter what the outcome of your case, and we will not deduct a thing from any compensation you are awarded.

If you would like to get free legal advice about claiming for a whiplash injury, please call 0800 10 757 95 or fill in an online claim form.