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Musculoskeletal disorders and associated healthcare costs among family members of injured workers
Author(s) -
Asfaw Abay,
PanaCryan Regina,
Bushnell Tim,
Sauter Steven
Publication year - 2015
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.22500
Subject(s) - medicine , occupational safety and health , occupational injury , workers' compensation , health care , injury prevention , family medicine , indemnity , musculoskeletal injury , occupational medicine , human factors and ergonomics , family member , poison control , medical emergency , environmental health , compensation (psychology) , alternative medicine , pathology , psychology , psychoanalysis , economics , economic growth , business , actuarial science
Background Research has infrequently looked beyond the injured worker when gauging the burden of occupational injury. Objectives We explored the relationship between occupational injury and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among family members of injured workers. Data and Methods We used 2005 and 2006 Truven Health Analytics databases, which contain information on workers' compensation and family healthcare claims. We used descriptive analyses, and negative binomial and two‐part models. Results Family members of severely injured workers had a 15% increase in the total number of MSD outpatient claims and a 34% increase in the mean cost of MSD claims compared to family members of non‐severely injured workers within 3 months after injury. Extrapolating cost results to the national level implies that severe occupational injury would be associated with between $29 and $33 million additional cost of family member outpatient MSD claims. Conclusion Occupational injury can impose a formerly unrecognized health burden on family members of injured workers. Am. J. Ind. Med. 58:1205–1216, 2015. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.