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Work‐related illness and injury claims among nationally certified athletic trainers reported to Washington and California from 2001 to 2011
Author(s) -
Kucera Kristen L.,
Roos Karen G.,
Hootman Jennifer M.,
Lipscomb Hester J.,
Dement John M.,
Silverstein Barbara A.
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.22648
Subject(s) - medicine , occupational safety and health , injury prevention , occupational injury , musculoskeletal injury , incidence (geometry) , poison control , certification , suicide prevention , human factors and ergonomics , workers' compensation , occupational medicine , physical therapy , family medicine , medical emergency , compensation (psychology) , alternative medicine , pathology , psychology , physics , law , political science , psychoanalysis , optics
Background Little is known about the work‐related injury and illnesses experienced by certified athletic trainers (AT). Methods The incidence and characteristics of injury/illness claims filed in two workers’ compensation systems were described from 2001 to 2011. Yearly populations at risk were estimated from National Athletic Trainers’ Association membership statistics. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) were reported by job setting. Results Claims were predominantly for traumatic injuries and disorders (82.7%: 45.7% sprains/strains, 12.0% open wounds, 6.5% bruises) and at these body sites (back 17.2%, fingers 12.3%, and knee 9.6%) and over half were caused by body motion and overexertion (51.5%). Compared with school settings, clinic/hospital settings had modestly higher claim rates (IRR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.06–1.52) while other settings (e.g., professional or youth sport, nursing home) had lower claim rates (IRR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.44–0.70). Conclusions These first known estimates of work‐related injuries/illnesses among a growing healthcare profession help identify occupational tasks and settings imposing injury risk for ATs. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:1156–1168, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.