scholarly journals Satisfying medical and rehabilitation needs positively influences returning to work after a work-related injury: an analysis of national panel data from 2018 to 2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suk Won Bae ◽  
Min-Yong Lee ◽  
Shin Who Park ◽  
Gangpyo Lee ◽  
Ja-Ho Leigh

Abstract Background This study examined how meeting the medical needs of injured workers after initial treatment may affect their return to work, using data from the Panel Study of Workers’ Compensation Insurance. Methods This study was designed as a longitudinal study, which used data from the second-year, follow-up survey conducted in the secondary cohort of the Panel Study of Workers’ Compensation Insurance. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval were estimated through binomial and multinomial logistic regression analyses to examine the effects of unmet medical needs on workers’ return to original work and return to work overall (including reemployment). Results The returned to original work OR of workers whose rehabilitation needs were met was 1.35 (1.12–1.63) while the return to work OR was 1.20 (1.03–1.41). The returned to original work OR of workers whose medical needs were met was 1.64 (1.18–2.27) while the return to work OR was 1.39 (1.07–1.80). In terms of disability rating, the return to work ORs of workers with mild disabilities whose medical/rehabilitation needs were not met and those of workers without disabilities were 1.71 (1.17–2.49) and 1.97 (1.27–3.08), respectively. In the case of regular/temporary workers, the returned-to-work ORs of workers whose medical/rehabilitation needs were not met were 1.54 (1.12–2.13) and 1.27 (1.03–1.56), respectively. Conclusions For workers who sustained work-related injuries, providing medical accessibility and meeting rehabilitation needs were found to be important predictors of return to work after initial treatment.

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suk Won Bae

Abstract Background One effective way to improve return-to-work (RTW) performance may be to convince the employer that the worker has the necessary skills. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of having a professional certification among workers injured in occupational injuries on their return to work. Methods The Panel Study of Workers’ Compensation Insurance (PSWCI) targets workers who completed medical care in 2012 after an occupational injury. The study population (n = 2000) was stratified by gender, age, region, disability grade, and rehabilitation service use. A total of 1458 workers were finally selected for this study. The effect of having a certification on RTW status was calculated with an odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals using binomial and multinomial logistic regression analyses. In the binomial logistic regression analysis, the RTW group was made up as a combination of the return to original work and the reemployment groups. Results The ORs of RTW among those with a certification compared to those without certification were 1.38 (1.16–1.65) in Model 1, 1.25 (1.05–1.50) in Model 2, and 1.22 (1.01–1.47) in Model 3. Among female workers with a certification, the OR of RTW was 4.60 (2.68–7.91), that of return to original work was 3.21 (1.74–5.91), and that of reemployment was 5.85 (3.34–10.27). Among daily workers with a certification, the OR of RTW was 1.32 (1.03–1.69) and that of reemployment was 1.37 (1.07–1.76). Conclusion In conclusion, injured workers with a certification generally had a higher RTW rate. In particular, the RTW rate was higher among female workers and daily workers with a certification than among those without.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e039948
Author(s):  
Suk Won Bae ◽  
Inchul Jeong ◽  
Jin-Ha Yoon ◽  
Seung Wook Lee ◽  
Tae Hyun Kim ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThis study aims to compare workers’ income before and after an occupational injury, with regard to return to work and job retention, over a period of 5 years.DesignThis study was designed as a longitudinal study.SettingThe Panel Study of Workers’ Compensation Insurance (PSWCI) survey targeted workers involved in industrial accidents for which medical care was terminated in the year 2012.ParticipantsThe panel study was conducted on a final sample of 2000 workers who were selected proportionally by region (nine regions) after priority assignment by disability rating (six levels). A total of 1458 workers were finally included in this study.MethodsThis study used data from the first to fifth PSWCI. To identify the effect on income after occupational injury considering return to work and job retention, we used the generalised estimating equation.ResultsIn regard to workers’ return to work, the OR that income after an occupational injury would be higher than that before an occupational injury was 3.17 (2.41–4.17) for those who returned to original work and 2.32 (1.81–2.97) for those re-employed as compared with who did not return to work and 1.27 (1.07–1.15) for those who retained their job as compared with those who did not. The ORs were 2.91 (2.26–3.75) for those who were re-employed and retained jobs and 2.96 (2.15–4.08) for those who returned to original work and did not retain jobs as compared with those who did not return to work and did not retain jobs.ConclusionsIt is important for accident victims to retain their jobs to maintain their economic status.


2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (9) ◽  
pp. 637-647
Author(s):  
Nancy Carnide ◽  
Sheilah Hogg-Johnson ◽  
Pierre Côté ◽  
Mieke Koehoorn ◽  
Andrea D Furlan

ObjectivesThe objective of this historical cohort study was to determine the claimant and prescriber factors associated with receiving opioids at first postinjury dispense compared with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and skeletal muscle relaxants (SMRs) in a sample of workers’ compensation claimants with low back pain (LBP) claims between 1998 and 2009 in British Columbia, Canada.MethodsAdministrative workers’ compensation, prescription and healthcare data were linked. The association between claimant factors (sociodemographics, occupation, diagnosis, comorbidities, pre-injury prescriptions and healthcare) and prescriber factors (sex, birth year, specialty) with drug class(es) at first dispense (opioids vs NSAIDs/SMRs) was examined with multilevel multinomial logistic regression.ResultsIncreasing days supplied with opioids in the previous year was associated with increased odds of receiving opioids only (1–14 days OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.51 to 1.75; ≥15 days OR 5.12, 95% CI 4.65 to 5.64) and opioids with NSAIDs/SMRs (1–14 days OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.39 to 1.60; ≥15 days OR 2.82, 95% CI 2.56 to 3.12). Other significant claimant factors included: pre-injury dispenses for NSAIDs, SMRs, antidepressants, anticonvulsants and sedative-hypnotics/anxiolytics; International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 9th Revision diagnosis; various pre-existing comorbidities; prior physician visits and hospitalisations; and year of injury, age, sex, health authority and occupation. Prescribers accounted for 25%–36% of the variability in the drug class(es) received, but prescriber sex, specialty and birth year did not explain observed between-prescriber variation.ConclusionsDuring this period in the opioid crisis, early postinjury dispensing was multifactorial, with several claimant factors associated with receiving opioids at first prescription. Prescriber variation in drug class choice appears particularly important, but was not explained by basic prescriber characteristics.


Author(s):  
Suk Won Bae ◽  
Sarah Soyeon Oh ◽  
Wha Me Park ◽  
Jaehoon Roh ◽  
Jong-Uk Won

Objective: To investigate changes in the incomes of workers, particularly those in the construction sector, who experienced industrial accidents according to their status of return to work. Methods: We used data from the fifth Panel Study of Workers’ Compensation Insurance. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare annual differential incomes before and after the industrial accident, and a linear mixed model was used to investigate the changes in income from before to after the industrial accident according to the industry and return-to-work status. Results: A comparison of the industrial categories revealed that construction industry workers exhibited the greatest incomes before the accident and the greatest decrease in income after the industrial accident. Regression analysis for assessing changes in income after the industrial accident showed that a comparison by industry revealed a significantly greater reduction in income in the construction than service industry. A comparison by work status revealed significantly greater decreases in income in the reemployment and non-return to work groups than among those who returned to their original work. Conclusions: The economic statuses of the victims of industrial accidents decreased relative to the pre-accident statuses in all industries. The ability to return to original work is important for preserving the accident victim’s economic status.


2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-86
Author(s):  
Brigitte A.G. van Lierop ◽  
Frans Nijhuis

AbstractEarly work-related interventions are extremely difficult when an employee is on long-term absence and in medical rehabilitation because of a severe illness or injury. The role of the medical rehabilitation setting is often focused on care and cure; there is little focus on work and work resumption. In this respect health care can hinder employees in their work resumption and in their focus on work. In this study, an intervention was undertaken to increase the focus on return to work in the medical rehabilitation setting with the aim of an integrated approach to return to work. The intervention was carried out in eight rehabilitation settings. During implementation, four different organisational models related to the return-to-work activities were recognised, varying from an integration of return-to-work activities within medical rehabilitation to a complete separation of the medical rehabilitation and the return-to-work activities. Every centre reported an increase of work-related activities and an increase in the return-to-work rate of employees was found.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Markus ◽  
Nina Gabriel ◽  
Markus Bassler ◽  
Matthias Bethge

Abstract Background Various rehabilitation services and return-to-work programs have been developed in order to reduce sickness absence and increase sustainable return-to-work. To ensure that people with a high risk of not returning to work can participate in working life, the model of work-related medical rehabilitation was developed in Germany. The efficacy of these programs in patients with mental disorders has been tested in only a few trials with very specific intervention approaches. To date, there is no clear evidence of the effectiveness of work-related medical rehabilitation implemented in real-care practice. Methods/design Our randomized controlled trial will be conducted in six rehabilitation centers across Germany. Within 15 months, 1800 patients with mental disorders (300 per rehabilitation center) will be recruited and assigned one-to-one either to a work-related medical rehabilitation program or to a conventional psychosomatic rehabilitation program. Participants will be aged 18–60 years. The control group will receive a conventional psychosomatic rehabilitation program without additional work-related components. The intervention group will receive a work-related medical rehabilitation program that contains at least 11 h of work-related treatment modules. Follow-up data will be assessed at the end of the rehabilitation and 3 and 12 months after completing the rehabilitation program. The primary outcome is a stable return to work. Secondary outcomes cover several dimensions of health, functioning and coping strategies. Focus groups and individual interviews supplement our study with qualitative data. Discussion This study will determine the relative effectiveness of a complex and newly implemented work-related rehabilitation strategy for patients with mental disorders. Trial registration German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00023175, September 29 2020).


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