Objective: Explore the relationship between injured workers' average weekly wages (AWW) and their workers' compensation (WC) claims outcomes in Maine, US.
Methods: A total of 29,668 indemnity (lost-time) claims categorized into three wage-based percentile groups from a 20-year period (5-year intervals) were analyzed. WC outcomes included medical costs, number of indemnity checks, claim's duration, and claim settlements.
Results: Generally, claims within the lower percentile group were less likely to have high medical costs, but were more likely to have an elevated number of indemnity checks when compared to those in the middle percentile group. An inverse relationship was observed for those claims within the higher percentile group.
Conclusions: Generalizations about low wage earners' claims being longer-lasting and more expensive or early return to work always reducing the medical cost of claims should be avoided.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000002528 | DOI Listing |
J Occup Rehabil
January 2025
Department of Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Purpose: This qualitative study investigated the needs, barriers, and facilitators that affect primary care providers' involvement in supporting patients' stay-at-work and return-to-work following injury or illness. It also aims to understand the lived experiences of primary care providers who participated in the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes training program for Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ECHO OEM). By examining both the structural and experiential aspects of the program, this study seeks to provide insights into how ECHO OEM influences providers' approaches to occupational health challenges.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Occup Rehabil
January 2025
Healthy Working Lives Research Group, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia.
Purpose: Evidence shows that patient outcomes following musculoskeletal injury have been associated with the timing of care. Despite the increasing number of injured workers presenting with low back pain (LBP) in primary care, little is known about the factors that are associated with the timing of initial healthcare provider visits. This study investigated factors that are associated with the timing of initial workers' compensation (WC)-funded care provider visits for LBP claims.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrehosp Emerg Care
January 2025
Occupational Therapy Program, Health Services Vocational School, Artvin Çoruh University.
Objectives: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which is used in cases of life-threatening cardiopulmonary arrest, is a physically exhausting procedure. Adding to that, sometimes, even before performing CPR, interventions to rescue the injured person from a challenging environment have caused significant fatigue. In this study, taking a novel research approach, we generated a scenario of fatigue during a rescue from earthquake debris and aimed to measure the effect of that fatigue on the quality of CPR performed by paramedics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
December 2024
Incheon Disaster Prevention Research Center, Incheon National University, 119 Academy-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea.
This study addresses occupational safety in reinforced concrete construction, an area marked by high accident rates and significant worker injury risks. By focusing on activity-body part (A-BP) combinations, this research introduces a novel framework for quantifying injury risks across construction activities. Reinforced concrete construction tasks are categorized into ten specific activities within three major work types: rebar work, formwork, and concrete placement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med
January 2025
Rural Coordination Centre of BC (RCCbc), 1665 W Broadway Suite 620, Vancouver, BC, V6J 1X1, Canada.
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