The association between rurality and return to work for workers’ compensation claimants with work-related musculoskeletal injuries: An analysis of workers who failed to return to work within typical healing time frames
Journal Title: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health - Year 2017, Vol 30, Issue 5
Abstract
Objectives: The objectives of this study have been to: 1) describe and compare urban and rural injured worker populations in Alberta, Canada; 2) identify return-to-work outcomes in urban and rural populations; 3) examine the relationship between geographic location of residence and recovery from work-related musculoskeletal injury; and 4) investigate if this relationship is attenuated after controlling for other known risk factors. Material and Methods: This study was a secondary analysis utilizing data of a population of musculoskeletal injury claimants who underwent clinical/RTW (return to work) assessment between December 2009 and January 2011 collected by the Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta. Descriptive statistics were computed for 32 variables and used for comparing urban and rural workers. The logistic regression analysis was performed to test the association between geographic location of residence and likelihood of return-to-work. Results: Data on 7843 claimants was included, 70.1% of them being urban and 29.9% – rural. Rural claimants tended to have spent less time in formal education, have a blue-collar job, have no modified work available, have a diagnosed comorbidity, and not been enrolled in a specialized rehabilitation program. They were 1.43 (1.12–1.84) times the odds more likely than urban claimants to be continuing to receive full disability benefits 90 days after their RTW assessment, and 1.68 (1.06–2.67) times the odds as likely to report a recurrence of receiving disability benefits. Conclusions: Rural residence was associated with prolonged work disability, even after controlling for age, job type, education level, health utilization and other potential confounders. Further research is required to explore why injured workers in rural settings experience prolonged reception of disability benefits and have greater rates of recurrence of receiving disability benefits. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(5):715–729
Authors and Affiliations
Callum A. Lavoie, Don Voaklander, Jeremy R. Beach, Douglas P. Gross
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP198892
- DOI 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00926
- Views 71
- Downloads 0
Trends in smoking among secondary school and high school students in Poland, 2009 and 2011
Objectives: To determine the age and the most common circumstances for smoking initiation along with smoking rates and to evaluate smoking trends for secondary and high school students in Poland during 2009 and 2011. Mat...
Stress at the place of work and cognitive functions among women performing intellectual work during peri- and post-menopausal period
Objectives: The analysis of the relationship between stress at work and results of cognitive functions amongst women, at peri- and post-menopausal age, performing intellectual work. Material and Methods: The study group...
Work-related stress in the Italian banking population and its association with recovery experience
Objectives: Over the past decade, there has been a markedly growing interest in issues involving work-related stress in Europe. In Italy, according to Eurofound, research has demonstrated high levels of stress in the ban...
Presence and use of automated external defibrillators in occupational setting, Belgium
Objectives: Few studies focus on out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the occupational setting. Therefore, this study describes the presence and use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) at Belgian workplaces during...
Letter to the Editor (August 24, 2017) concerning the paper “Occupational exposure to radon for underground tourist routes in Poland: Doses to lung and the risk of developing lung cancer”
Refers to: Walczak K, Olszewski J, Politański P, Zmyślony M. Occupational exposure to radon for underground tourist routes in Poland: Doses to lung and the risk of developing lung cancer. Int J Occup Med Environ Health....