Examining the epidemiology of work-related traumatic brain injury through a sex/gender lens: analysis of workers’ compensation claims in Victoria, Australia

IntroductionSevere traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes neuropsychiatric disturbances. Emotional and personality disturbances seem to cause much more seriously handicap than residual cognitive or physical disabilities. The prognosis may be poor associated with marked social impairment, so a multidisciplinary approach team is required in order to improve patient's quality of life and reintegration in family and society.ObjectivesTo summarize the latest literature about this field and to present a case report.AimTo explore and learn more about chronic psychiatric changes in severe post-traumatic brain injury and share with the scientific community how challenging the approach of this entity can be.MethodsA brief review of the latest literature was performed, using PubMed and the keywords “traumatic brain injury” and “psychiatric changes”. A case report is presented.ResultsAlthough SSRI, benzodiazepines, mood stabilizers and antipsychotics are commonly used, new options are reported such as methylphenidate and cholinesterase inhibitors. The presented patient, a 27-year-old male, began with neuropsychiatric disturbances after a work-related fall from 9 meters high: convulsions and alcohol compulsive drinking. Three years have passed and his changes are still difficult to approach. Besides other medication, such as benzodiazepines and mood stabilizers, flufenazine injections and naltrexone seemed to be determinant in his behaviour and mood stabilization. He is also on a long-term alcoholism programme.ConclusionsAlthough the understanding of TBI-associated neuropsychiatric disorders has improved in the last decade, further research is needed, such as randomized-controlled studies to study new pharmacological and non-pharmacological approach.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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387 The effects of ambient temperature on work-related injuries in adelaide, australia– workers’ compensation claims increase with high temperatures

10.1136/oemed-2018-icohabstracts.1426 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Blesson M Varghese ◽

Adrian G Barnett ◽

Alana L Hansen ◽

Peng Bi ◽

Dino L Pisaniello

Keyword(s):

Ambient Temperature ◽

High Temperatures ◽

Workers Compensation ◽

Work Related ◽

Compensation Claims

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Work-related mild-moderate traumatic brain injury and the construction industry

Work ◽

10.3233/wor-2011-1176 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 283-290 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Margaret Liu ◽

Wenli Wei ◽

Jennifer Fergenbaum ◽

Paul Comper ◽

Angela Colantonio

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Construction Industry ◽

Work Related ◽

Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury

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O2C.5 Increasing costs of occupational injuries in association with high ambient temperatures in adelaide, south australia, 2000–2014

Occupational and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.1136/oem-2019-epi.45 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 76 (Suppl 1) ◽

pp. A17.2-A17

Author(s):

Jianjun Xiang ◽

Alana Hansen ◽

Dino Pisaniello ◽

Peng Bi

Keyword(s):

Older Workers ◽

South Australia ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Retail Trade ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

Workers Compensation ◽

Work Related ◽

Compensation Claims ◽

The Impact ◽

Compensation Costs

ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of ambient temperature on compensation costs due to work-related injuries, and to provide an evidence base about the economic benefits of developing workplace heat prevention strategies in a warming climate.MethodsWorkers’ compensation claims obtained from SafeWork South Australia for 2000–2014 were transformed into daily time series format and merged with meteorological data. The relationship between temperature and compensation costs were estimated using a generalized linear model after controlling for long-term trends, seasonality, and day of week. A piecewise linear spline function was used to account for non-linearity.ResultsA total of 4 64 139 workers’ compensation claims were reported during the 15 year period in South Australia, resulting in AU$14.9 billion dollars compensation payment. Overall, it is a reversed V-shaped temperature-cost association. A 1°C increase in maximum temperature was associated with a 1.1% (95% CI, 0.2%–2.0%) increase in daily injury compensation expenditure below 35.2°C. Specifically, significant increases of injury costs were observed in males (1.4%, 95% CI 0.3%–2.5%), young workers (3.0%, 95% CI 1.2%–4.9%), older workers≥65 years (2.4%, 95% CI 0.5%–4.4%), labourers (2.7%, 95% CI 0.5%–4.8%), machinery operators and drivers (3.5%, 95% CI 1.6%–5.3%) and the following industries: agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (12.3%, 95% CI 2.2%–23.3%); construction (7.8%, 95% CI 0.02%–16.3%); and wholesale and retail trade (2.4%, 95% CI 0.5%–4.4%). Costs for compensating occupational burns and ‘skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases’ increased by 3.1% (95% CI 1.2%–5.1%) and 2.7% (95% CI 0.1%–5.4%) respectively, with a 1°C increase in maximum temperature.ConclusionThere is a significant association between temperature and work-related injury compensation costs in Adelaide, South Australia for certain subgroups. Heat attributable workers’ compensation costs may increase with the predicted rising temperature.

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Assault predicts time away from work after claims for work-related mild traumatic brain injury

Occupational and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.1136/oemed-2018-105621 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 76 (7) ◽

pp. 471-478 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Reema Shafi ◽

Peter M Smith ◽

Angela Colantonio

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Workplace Violence ◽

Well Being ◽

Economic Loss ◽

Multivariable Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

Physical Assault ◽

Mechanism Of Injury ◽

Work Related ◽

Time Away

IntroductionWorkplace violence carries a substantial economic loss burden. Up to 10% of all traumatic brain injury (TBI) admissions result from physical assault. There remains a paucity of research on assault as a mechanism of injury, taking into account sex, and its association with work re-entry.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to characterise, by sex, the sample of workers who had sustained a work-related mild TBI (wr-mTBI) and to assess the independent influence of assault, as a mechanism of injury, on time away from work.MethodsA population-based retrospective cohort of workers’ compensation claimants in Australia (n=3129) who had sustained a wr-mTBI was used for this study. A multivariable logistic regression analysis assessed whether workers who had sustained wr-mTBI as a result of assault (wr-mTBI-assault) were more likely to claim time off work compared with workers who had sustained a wr-mTBI due to other mechanisms.ResultsAmong claimants who sustained a wr-mTBI, 9% were as a result of assault. The distribution of demographic and vocational variables differed between the wr-mTBI-assault, and not due to assault, both in the full sample, and separately for men and women. After controlling for potential confounding factors, workers who sustained wr-mTBI-assault, compared with other mechanisms, were more likely to take days off work (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.53 to 2.99) within a 3-month timeframe.ConclusionThe results have policy-related implications. Sex-specific and workplace-specific prevention strategies need to be considered and provisions to support return-to-work and well-being within this vulnerable cohort should be examined.

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