The impact of shoulder pathologies on job discontinuation and return to work: a pilot ultrasonographic investigation.

Background: Ultrasound imaging has emerged as one of the most useful tools for evaluating shoulder disorders. To date, the association between shoulder ultrasonography and a patient's work status has rarely been explored by antecedent studies.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the association between sonographically diagnosed shoulder pathologies and job discontinuation and return to work.

Hospital Occupational Health Service Network and Reporting Systems in Taiwan From 2008 to 2021.

Objective: To evaluate the provision of occupational health services at hospitals following the establishment of the Network of Occupational Disease and Injury Service in 2007.

Methods: A review of occupational health services during 2008 to 2021 was conducted. The medical practice-based reporting system was compared with the database of compensated occupational diseases (ODs) from Taiwan's Labor Insurance.

Work-related and personal factors in shoulder disorders among electronics workers: findings from an electronics enterprise in Taiwan.

Background: The electronics industry is one of the largest global industries, and significant numbers of workers are engaged in this industry. Evidence suggests two associations, including one between ergonomic risks and shoulder disorders and another between psychological stress and psychological problems among workers in this industry. Investigations on ergonomic risks, psychological stress, and sex effects for shoulder disorders in this industry are limited.

Contributions of Ergonomics, Psychological Factors, and Sleep Disturbances to Lower Back Pain Among Taiwanese Workers.

Objective: We investigated the contributions of ergonomics, psychological factors, and sleep disturbances to lower back pain (LBP).

Methods: A nationwide survey of sampled 27,508 (2.6‰) Taiwanese workers was conducted in 2010.

Association between Urinary Phthalate Metabolites and Markers of Endothelial Dysfunction in Adolescents and Young Adults.

Endothelial function is crucial in the pathogenesis of circulatory and cardiovascular toxicity; epidemiologic research investigating the association between phthalate exposure and endothelial dysfunction remains limited. We examined the associations between exposures to specific phthalates (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, DEHP; di-n-butyl phthalate, DnBP) and circulating endothelial and platelet microparticles (EMPs and PMPs) in adolescents and young adults. Of the 697 participants recruited, anthropometric measurements and health-related behaviors relevant to cardiovascular risks were collected and assessed.

Long-Term Effects of Psychological Symptoms after Occupational Injury on Return to Work: A 6-Year Follow-Up.

Psychological factors may compromise return to work among workers with occupational injuries, and little is known about the long-term consequences of psychological symptoms relating to return to work. The study examined the impact of psychological symptoms on return to work as well as exploring factors associated with return to work among injured workers. A total of 572 workers who experienced occupational injuries were recruited in this prospective cohort study.

The Effects of Lighting Problems on Eye Symptoms among Cleanroom Microscope Workers.

The visual health of microscope workers is an important occupational health concern, and a previous study suggested an association between lighting problems (e.g., flashing light, insufficient lighting) and eye symptoms among cleanroom workers in the electronics industry.

Association between Emotional Symptoms and Job Demands in an Asian Electronics Factory.

Various work-related issues including mental health have been described for the electronic industry. Although East Asian countries play important roles in the electronics industry, the association between job demands and emotional symptoms has been rarely examined. The present study recruited 603 workers from either office or clean room environments in an electronics factory in Taiwan.

Psychiatric disorders after occupational injury among National Health Insurance enrollees in Taiwan.

This study aimed to determine the incidence rates of psychiatric disorders within 1 year after occupational injury and to examine the association between occupational injury and the incidence of psychiatric disorders using National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). We used cohort approach in this investigation. All eligible subjects were from the NHIRD, and aged 18-65 years old.

The impact of occupational health service network and reporting system in Taiwan.

Background: Underreporting occupational disease cases has been a long-standing problem in Taiwan, which hinders the progress in occupational health and safety. To address this problem, the government has founded the Network of Occupational Diseases and Injuries Service (NODIS) for occupational disease and injury services and established a new Internet-based reporting system.

Objectives: The aims of this study are to analyze the possible influence of the NODIS, comprised of Center for Occupational Disease and Injury Services and their local network hospitals, on compensable occupational diseases and describe the distribution of occupational diseases across occupations and industries from 2005 to 2010 in Taiwan.

Estimation of life expectancy and the expected years of life lost in patients with major cancers: extrapolation of survival curves under high-censored rates.

Objectives: There exists a lack of extrapolation methods for long-term survival analysis when censored rates are high (25-50%). This study aimed at estimating life expectancy (LE) after the diagnosis of cancer and the expected years of life lost (EYLL) using a newly developed semiparametric method.

Methods: Patients (n = 425,294) diagnosed with 17 different types of major cancer were enrolled.

Estimation of the financial burden to the National Health Insurance for patients with major cancers in Taiwan.

Background/purpose: Almost all countries that have national health insurance schemes face financial challenges. A better understanding of the financial burden that cancer places on Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) is important for helping policy makers to plan under scarce healthcare resources. This study attempts to estimate lifetime health expenditure for patients with 17 types of major cancers.