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Use of statewide electronic emergency department data for occupational injury surveillance: A feasibility study in massachusetts
Author(s) -
Davis Letitia K.,
Hunt Phillip R.,
Hackman H. Holly,
McKeown Loreta N.,
Ozonoff Victoria V.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.21035
Subject(s) - medicine , emergency department , occupational safety and health , medical emergency , occupational exposure , environmental health , injury prevention , poison control , injury surveillance , human factors and ergonomics , emergency medicine , psychiatry , pathology
Abstract Background Statewide datasets of emergency department (ED) visits may be useful for occupational injury surveillance. Using data from 12 hospitals, we evaluated two indicators of work‐relatedness in reported ED data and the availability of employment information in medical charts. Methods Workers' compensation as payer and/or “yes” in an injury‐at‐work field were used to define probable work‐related (PWR) injury visits in the Massachusetts ED dataset. Charts were reviewed for a sample of 1,002 PWR and 250 probable nonwork‐related (PNWR) cases. Results Using chart information as the gold standard, indicators of work‐relatedness had a sensitivity of 82%, specificity of 97%, and predictive value positive of 86%. Employer name was in charts for 89% of PWR and 42% of PNWR cases. Occupation was available for 34% of PWR cases. Conclusion Electronic ED data are useful for state surveillance of occupational injuries. Improvements in attribution of work‐relatedness and collection of available employer identifiers and occupational information would enhance its usefulness. The performance of indicators of work‐relatedness in ED datasets should be examined in different states. Am. J. Ind. Med. 55:344–352, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.