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Characterizing emergency department patients who reported work‐related injuries and illnesses
Author(s) -
Bhandari Ruchi,
Marsh Suzanne M.,
Reichard Audrey A.,
Tonozzi Theresa R.
Publication year - 2016
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.22607
Subject(s) - medicine , emergency department , occupational safety and health , injury prevention , occupational medicine , medical emergency , medical record , poison control , directive , emergency medicine , family medicine , occupational exposure , psychiatry , surgery , pathology , computer science , programming language
Background Per a Congressional directive and funding, this study describes worker and workplace characteristics of emergency department (ED) patients who reported their injury/illness to their employer. The study also responds to Congress's request to enumerate injured/ill self‐employed workers and workers with chronic conditions. Methods We conducted a follow‐back study on injured/ill workers, including self‐employed, identified from a national ED surveillance system from June 2012 through December 2013. Results An estimated 3,357,000 (95%CI: 2,516,000–4,199,000) workers treated in EDs reported their injury/illness to their employer or were self‐employed. Of those, 202,000 (95%CI: 133,000–272,000) had a chronic condition. Of all reporters, excluding self‐employed, 77% indicated they received instructions as to whom to report. Conclusion The study did not identify underreporting issues and revealed that medical records data may not be appropriate for assessing underreporting. Additional research is needed to examine workplace characteristics that encourage injury and illness reporting. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:610–620, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.