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Health care use associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders among hospital workers

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Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate if work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are associated with increased health care use, over and above workers’ compensation health care benefits, in the period prior to and following a workers’ compensation claim indicating gradual progression and declining function associated with musculoskeletal morbidity. Methods: This study employed secondary analysis of employment data, workers’ compensation claim data and provincial (universal) medical services data for a cohort of health care workers; and investigated rates of medical care contacts among injured workers with a WMSD claim (n=549) compared to a matched group of non-claim workers. Predictors of health care contacts were estimated using general linear regression. Results: WMSD injured workers had significantly higher rates of health care contacts associated with a claim compared to non-injured workers, over and above workers compensation health care benefits. In the final multi-variable model, a WMSD claim among injured workers was associated with an estimated 69% (95% CI, 1.50, 1.91) increase in health care use for the 12-month period immediately after the injury date compared to non injured workers. Conclusion: The pattern of visits for WMSDs suggests that workers visit general practitioners as part of an ongoing pattern of symptoms, resulting in frequent utilization of health services prior to work disability that is also reflected in health care contacts after return-to-work.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia through the Finding Solutions Program. The principal investigator was supported by the Institute for Work & Health (Toronto) through the Mustard Post-doctoral Fellowship in Work Environment and Health and currently by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Award. The Institute for Work & Health, an independent not-for-profit research organization, receives support from the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. The authors thank the employees and administration of St. Paul’s Hospital (Vancouver) for their participation in the study and their assistance with data extraction. The authors are also very appreciative of the expertise provided by Kim McGrail at the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research (University of British Columbia) on the BC Linked Health Database. The authors thank Bo Green for his advice on the analysis of the health care utilization data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Care & Epidemiology, University of British Columbia, 5804 Fairview Avenue, Mather Building, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z3

    Mieke Koehoorn & Clyde Hertzman

  2. School of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

    Mieke Koehoorn

  3. Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Canada

    Mieke Koehoorn, Donald C. Cole & Hyunmi Lee

  4. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    Donald C. Cole

Authors
  1. Mieke Koehoorn
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  2. Donald C. Cole
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  3. Clyde Hertzman
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  4. Hyunmi Lee
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Correspondence to Mieke Koehoorn.

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Koehoorn, M., Cole, D.C., Hertzman, C. et al. Health care use associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders among hospital workers. J Occup Rehabil 16, 402–415 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-006-9022-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-006-9022-7

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