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BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) Sep 1990
Topics: Asbestosis; Humans; Male; United Kingdom; Workers' Compensation
PubMed: 2145049
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.301.6750.453 -
Journal of Occupational Health Jan 2023Workers' diseases and injuries are often highly related to work. However, due to limited resources and unclear work relatedness, workers' compensation insurance cannot...
OBJECTIVE
Workers' diseases and injuries are often highly related to work. However, due to limited resources and unclear work relatedness, workers' compensation insurance cannot cover all diseases or injuries among workers. This study aimed to estimate the status and probability of disapproval from national workers' compensation insurance using basic information from Korean workers' compensation system.
METHODS
The compensation insurance data for Korean workers consists of personal, occupational, and claims data. We describe the status of disapproval by workers' compensation insurance according to the type of disease or injury. A prediction model for disapproval by workers' compensation insurance was established by applying two machine-learning methods with a logistic regression model.
RESULTS
Among 42 219 cases, there were significantly higher risks of disapproval by workers' compensation insurance for women, younger workers, technicians, and associate professionals. We established a disapproval model for workers' compensation insurance after the feature selection. The prediction model for workers' disease disapproval by the workers' compensation insurance showed a good performance, and the prediction model for workers' injury disapproval showed a moderate performance.
CONCLUSION
This study is the first attempt to demonstrate the status and prediction of disapproval by workers' compensation insurance using basic information from the Korean workers' compensation data. These findings suggest that diseases or injuries have a low level of evidence of work relatedness or there is a lack of research on occupational health. It is also expected to contribute to the efficiency of the management of workers' diseases or injuries.
Topics: Humans; Female; Workers' Compensation; Occupational Injuries; Logistic Models; Occupational Health; Republic of Korea
PubMed: 36808797
DOI: 10.1002/1348-9585.12392 -
New Solutions : a Journal of... Feb 2022Workers who experience language barriers are more likely to get injured or sick because of their work and have poorer claim and return-to-work outcomes compared to other...
Workers who experience language barriers are more likely to get injured or sick because of their work and have poorer claim and return-to-work outcomes compared to other workers. To better understand the systemic factors that shape access to compensation in contexts of language barriers, we compared language accommodation policies and practices in the Quebec and Ontario workers' compensation systems. We uncovered gaps limiting access to professional interpreters in both provinces, although gaps were more pronounced in Quebec where workers were responsible for the cost of interpreters. We argue that simply improving the linguistic competence of workers' compensation systems is not sufficient to tackle access barriers and must be accompanied by efforts to address the root causes of social and economic inequities for workers who experience language barriers.
Topics: Humans; Language; Ontario; Quebec; Return to Work; Workers' Compensation
PubMed: 34730458
DOI: 10.1177/10482911211053020 -
American Journal of Men's Health Jan 2014The mental health of men is an important issue with significant direct and indirect costs emerging from work-related depression and suicide. Although the merits of men's... (Review)
Review
The mental health of men is an important issue with significant direct and indirect costs emerging from work-related depression and suicide. Although the merits of men's community-based and workplace mental health promotion initiatives have been endorsed, few programs are mandated or formally evaluated and reported on. Conspicuously absent also are gender analyses detailing connections between masculinities and men's work-related depression and suicide on which to build men-centered mental health promotion programs. This article provides an overview of four interconnected issues, (a) masculinities and men's health, (b) men and work, (c) men's work-related depression and suicide, and (d) men's mental health promotion, in the context of men's diverse relationships to work (including job insecurity and unemployment). Based on the review, recommendations are made for advancing the well-being of men who are in as well as of those out of work.
Topics: Comorbidity; Depression; Employment; Health Status; Humans; Male; Masculinity; Men's Health; Mental Health; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Health; Suicide; Workers' Compensation
PubMed: 23727792
DOI: 10.1177/1557988313490786 -
International Orthopaedics Apr 2009The purpose of this study was to review the association between compensation status and surgical outcome especially of the shoulder. Given the high prevalence of... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
The purpose of this study was to review the association between compensation status and surgical outcome especially of the shoulder. Given the high prevalence of shoulder injuries in the workplace and the large proportion of workers compensation (WC) claims involving such injuries, it is worth examining the correlation between WC status and surgical outcome of the shoulder. All studies published in journals (MEDLINE and PubMed) from 1980 through 2007 on surgical interventions performed on the shoulder in which workers compensation status was documented and the postoperative functional outcome was compared according to that status were pooled for meta-analysis. This systematic review shows that compensation status of an individual receiving shoulder surgery is a consistent positive predictor of poor functional outcome. The majority of questions posed in the most commonly adopted shoulder-specific functional outcome measurement tools were subjective in nature and may account for part of the phenomenon.
Topics: Adult; Disability Evaluation; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Orthopedic Procedures; Pain Measurement; Postoperative Complications; Prognosis; Recovery of Function; Risk Assessment; Shoulder Impingement Syndrome; Shoulder Joint; Shoulder Pain; Sickness Impact Profile; Treatment Outcome; Workers' Compensation; Young Adult
PubMed: 18094970
DOI: 10.1007/s00264-007-0493-8 -
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation Sep 2021Purpose There is an absence of evidence-based guidance to support workplace stakeholders in the effective delivery of return-to-work (RTW) messages. Our study examines...
Purpose There is an absence of evidence-based guidance to support workplace stakeholders in the effective delivery of return-to-work (RTW) messages. Our study examines the specific RTW communication practices and their impact on the management of work disability. Methods Within two large and complex healthcare organizations, semi-structured interviews were conducted with workplace stakeholders (e.g., supervisors, union representatives, disability management professionals and workers' compensation representatives) and workers who had previously experienced sickness absence related to an occupational injury or illness. For workplace stakeholders interview questions asked about their roles and responsibilities in the RTW process, and specific communication strategies and messages that were used at different phases of the RTW process. For worker participants, interview questions explored RTW experiences and the impact of communication on work re-integration. An interpretative descriptive approach was used to inductively examine themes from interviews to create ways of understanding phenomena that yielded applied findings. Results Forty participants were interviewed including workplace stakeholders and workers. Participants frequently described effective RTW communication as messages that were delivered by a workplace stakeholder that included the content required by an injured worker to navigate the organizational disability management process and utilized specific strategies to address the perceived attitudes and perceptions held by an injured worker regarding work re-integration. Workplace stakeholders described five specific communication strategies including relaying messages of support, optimizing the timing of communication, careful word choice, framing messages, and tailoring communication to the injured worker. Conclusion RTW communication is an active process that requires a strategic approach. Effective communication practices represent an important strategy for workplace stakeholders to address the barriers held by injured workers and foster early and sustained RTW.
Topics: Communication; Humans; Occupational Injuries; Return to Work; Workers' Compensation; Workplace
PubMed: 33528732
DOI: 10.1007/s10926-021-09961-y -
Journal of Safety Research Jun 2022Managing and improving occupational safety and health requires evaluating performance. Organizations are encouraged to use both lagging indicators (such as injury rates...
INTRODUCTION
Managing and improving occupational safety and health requires evaluating performance. Organizations are encouraged to use both lagging indicators (such as injury rates and costs) and leading indicators (such as questionnaire-assessed safety hazards and management practices) for this purpose, but the association between types of indicators over time can be complex. Longitudinal data can assist in clarifying these associations and increasing indicator utility.
METHOD
Employer data were used to evaluate the reliability and predictive validity of a safety management questionnaire. Employers' longitudinal questionnaire responses and workers' compensation (WC) claims data were analyzed using a marginal model with time-dependent covariates. Multivariable Poisson and linear regression analyses with claim rate and logarithmic cost, respectively, as dependent variables were carried out after adjusting for industry sector and size. Questionnaire data were used to evaluate questionnaire scaling properties and to assess generalizability of results.
RESULTS
One safety management scale was associated with a better WC outcome as predicted and two scales were unexpectedly associated with poorer WC claim outcomes. Analyses assisted in interpreting the latter results, suggesting that WC outcomes were a stimulus for change in some cases. Twelve hazards assessed on the questionnaire were associated with poorer WC claim outcomes as predicted.
CONCLUSIONS
This study extends leading indicator research using longitudinal questionnaire and WC claims data from employers. Analyses provided insight into associations between leading and lagging indicators, emphasizing the importance of both for safety improvement. Safety management questionnaire scales were predictive of WC claim outcomes, although support for hazard assessments as leading indicators was stronger.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
This study supports the use of employer-completed hazard assessment questionnaires for targeting and prioritizing improvement efforts. Employer-completed safety management scales may be useful for directing improvement efforts, although the conditions under which they are completed, including submission to insurers, require additional consideration.
Topics: Humans; Industry; Occupational Injuries; Reproducibility of Results; Surveys and Questionnaires; Workers' Compensation
PubMed: 35589299
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2022.03.005 -
BMC Public Health Sep 2016Permanent occupational disability is one of the most severe consequences of diabetes that impedes the performance of usual working activities among economically active... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
BACKGROUND
Permanent occupational disability is one of the most severe consequences of diabetes that impedes the performance of usual working activities among economically active individuals. Survival rates and worker compensation expenses have not previously been examined among Mexican workers. We aimed to describe the worker compensation expenses derived from pension payments and also to examine the survival rates and characteristics associated with all-cause mortality, in a cohort of 34,014 Mexican workers with permanent occupational disability caused by diabetes during the years 2000-2013 at the Mexican Institute of Social Security.
METHODS
A cross-sectional analysis study was conducted using national administrative records data from the entire country, regarding permanent occupational disability medical certification, pension payment and vital status. Survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI) in order to assess the cohort characteristics and all-cause mortality risk. Total expenses derived from pension payments for the period were accounted for in U.S. dollars (USD, 2013).
RESULTS
There were 12,917 deaths in 142,725.1 person-years. Median survival time was 7.26 years. After multivariate adjusted analysis, males (HR, 1.39; 95 % CI, 1.29-1.50), agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers (HR, 1.41; 95 % CI, 1.15-1.73) and renal complications (HR, 3.49; 95 % CI, 3.18-3.83) had the highest association with all-cause mortality. The all-period expenses derived from pension payments amounted to $777.78 million USD (2013), and showed a sustained increment: from $58.28 million USD in 2000 to $111.62 million USD in 2013 (percentage increase of 91.5 %).
CONCLUSIONS
Mexican workers with permanent occupational disability caused by diabetes had a median survival of 7.26 years, and those with renal complications showed the lowest survival in the cohort. Expenses derived from pension payments amounted to $ 777 million USD and showed an important increase from 2000 to 2013.
Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Cohort Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes Complications; Disabled Persons; Female; Humans; Male; Mexico; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Occupational Diseases; Proportional Hazards Models; Sex Factors; Survival Rate; Workers' Compensation
PubMed: 27587061
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-016-3598-4 -
Hand (New York, N.Y.) Jan 2019Workers' compensation is intended for injuries that occur at work and is expected to be mostly for trauma and mostly nondiscretionary conditions. We tested the null... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
BACKGROUND
Workers' compensation is intended for injuries that occur at work and is expected to be mostly for trauma and mostly nondiscretionary conditions. We tested the null hypothesis that there is no difference in the ratio of likely discretionary to likely nondiscretionary surgery between patients treated under workers' compensation compared with commercial insurance controlling for age, sex, and anatomical site for either traumatic or nontraumatic diagnoses.
METHODS
Using claims data from the Texas workers' compensation database and Truven Health commercial claims we classified International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnoses and procedure codes as likely discretionary or likely nondiscretionary, and as traumatic or nontraumatic. Ratios of likely discretionary to likely nondiscretionary surgery were calculated and compared.
RESULTS
Among patients treated under workers' compensation, the ratio of likely discretionary to likely nondiscretionary surgery was significantly higher for traumatic diagnoses (0.57 [95% confidence interval, CI, = 0.56-0.61] vs 0.38 [95% CI = 0.37-0.40], P < .05) and significantly lower for nontraumatic diagnoses (9.4 [95% CI = 9.20-9.42] vs 13.2 [95% CI = 12.9-13.3], P < .05) compared with commercial insurance.
CONCLUSIONS
Workers' compensation often covers likely discretionary musculoskeletal surgery, and insurance type may influence treatment.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Databases, Factual; Elective Surgical Procedures; Female; Humans; Insurance, Health; Male; Middle Aged; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Injuries; Retrospective Studies; Texas; Upper Extremity; Workers' Compensation; Young Adult
PubMed: 30192641
DOI: 10.1177/1558944718799392 -
Canadian Journal of Public Health =... 2012The burden of work injuries in Canada is a serious public health concern. Nearly one million Canadian workers experienced nonfatal injuries that led to time off work in... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
The burden of work injuries in Canada is a serious public health concern. Nearly one million Canadian workers experienced nonfatal injuries that led to time off work in 2005. New employees and recent immigrants are more likely to experience a work-related injury. The purpose of this study was to examine services, programs and resources available to newcomers to Canada that focus on employment standards (ES), occupational health & safety (OHS) and workers' compensation (WC).
METHODS
We reviewed resources available through community organizations, employers, settlement groups and unions, as well as provincial and federal prevention agencies and workers' compensation boards. The materials were categorized according to geographical distribution, content, resource type, audience and language.
RESULTS
We found a total of 224 resources that met our search criteria. The greatest numbers were found in the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba. Most resources consisted of short factsheets on the topic of ES; WC was the focus of the fewest resources. The most comprehensive resources were teaching materials for ESL/FSL classes and Job Search Workshops. Most resources were specifically produced for newcomers but only available in French/English. Our scan uncovered no information for health care providers, union representatives or safety professionals working with immigrants. Very few resources were aimed at young immigrant workers or employers working with newcomers.
CONCLUSIONS
Our research identifies gaps in the provision of health and safety resources for newcomers. Additional research is needed to evaluate the depth and quality of materials and to determine how decisions are made around the inclusion or exclusion of ES, OHS and WC information in language and labour market preparation programs for new immigrants.
Topics: Canada; Emigrants and Immigrants; Employment; Health Care Surveys; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Multilingualism; Occupational Health Services; Workers' Compensation
PubMed: 22338329
DOI: 10.1007/BF03404069