About the Authors

Shanil Ebrahim

shanil.ebrahim@utoronto.ca

Affiliations Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario Canada, Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Gordon H. Guyatt

Affiliations Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario Canada, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Stephen D. Walter

Affiliation Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario Canada

Diane Heels-Ansdell

Affiliation Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario Canada

Marg Bellman

Affiliation National Disability Services, Policy & Procedure Department, Sun Life Financial, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Steven E. Hanna

Affiliation Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario Canada

Irene Patelis-Siotis

Affiliation Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Jason W. Busse

Affiliations Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario Canada, Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Competing Interests

The authors have read the journal's policy and have the following conflicts: Jason W. Busse acts as a consultant to Prisma Health Canada, a private incorporated company funded by employers and insurers that consults on and manages long-term disability claims. Marg Bellman is the assistant vice president of the National Disability Services, Policy & Procedure department at Sun Life Financial Assurance Company of Canada. This does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. All other authors report no conflicts of interest.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: SE GHG SDW JWB. Performed the experiments: SE GHG SDW DHA SEH JWB. Analyzed the data: SE SDW DHA. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: MB IPS. Wrote the paper: SE. Reviewed manuscript critically: GHG SDW DHA MB SEH IPS JWB.