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Syst Rev 2019 Apr 9;8(1):92. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

Insurance Work and Health Group, Health Services Division, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia.

Background: Low back pain is the greatest contributor to the global burden of disease and can result in work disability. Previous literature has examined the influence of personal factors, the healthcare system, workplace, and income support systems on work disability due to low back pain. Income support systems may also influence healthcare and the workplace, leading to an impact on healthcare quality and functional capacity. Read More

J Korean Med Sci 2019 Apr 8;34(13):e108. Epub 2019 Apr 8.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Incheon Workers' Compensation Hospital, Incheon, Korea.

Background: The gold standard in dysarthria assessment involves subjective analysis by a speech-language pathologist (SLP). We aimed to investigate the feasibility of dysarthria assessment using automatic speech recognition.

Methods: We developed an automatic speech recognition based software to assess dysarthria severity using hidden Markov models (HMMs). Read More

Eur J Public Health 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian National Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL), Rome, Italy.

Background: This work is aimed at evaluating the quality of Italian hospitalizations data about asbestosis and silicosis, assessing the impact of these diseases on the national health system and providing advice related to public health.

Methods: Italian hospital discharge data (2001-15) with diagnosis of asbestosis or silicosis were analysed by the multiple correspondence analysis and diseases epidemics were evaluated through hospitalization rates.

Results: Hospitalizations were concentrated in the northwestern area, referred mainly to males and oldest people, the most treated tumors were lung cancer and mesothelioma (for asbestosis) and cares were aimed at reducing symptoms and increasing blood oxygenation. Read More

J Agromedicine 2019 Feb 8:1-11. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

d Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety And Health (PNASH) Center, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences , University of Washington , Seattle , WA , USA.

Objectives: Forestry services is a hazardous industry with high job-related injury, illness, and fatality rates. The Northwest workforce is largely Spanish-speaking, Latino, and immigrant, working in poor conditions with insufficient attention paid to safety and health. Institutional racism fundamentally shapes the structural vulnerability of Latino immigrant workers. Read More

J Neurosurg Spine 2019 Feb 1:1-7. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

OBJECTIVEThis study aimed to determine if the preoperative Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System, Physical Function (PROMIS PF) score is predictive of immediate postoperative patient pain and narcotics consumption or long-term patient-reported outcomes (PROs) following minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TLIF).METHODSA prospectively maintained database was retrospectively reviewed. Patients who underwent primary, single-level MIS TLIF for degenerative pathology were identified and grouped by their preoperative PROMIS PF scores: mild disability (score 40-50), moderate disability (score 30-39. Read More

J Occup Rehabil 2019 Feb 4. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Insurance Work and Health Group, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne, 3004, Australia.

Purpose General Practitioners (GPs) play an important role in personal injury compensation systems yet system processes have been perceived as burdensome. Objectives were to (1) determine attitudes of Australian GPs on health benefits of return to work (RTW) after injury/illness and (2) identify associations between GP characteristics and agreement with issues surrounding treating compensable patients. Methods Cross-sectional postal survey of 423 Australian GPs to determine agreement with issues associated with compensable patients (including patient advocacy, conflicting opinions between GPs and compensation systems, fitness-for-work certification, and refusal to treat). Read More

J Asthma 2019 Jan 31:1-10. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

a Washington State Department of Labor and Industries , Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) , Olympia , Washington, USA.

Objective: Washington State's work-related asthma (WRA) surveillance program utilizes workers' compensation (WC) data as its primary data source and has spanned a 15-year time period. This study analyses trends for WRA claim incidence rates compared to all WC claim incidence rates. WRA claim incidence rates and WC costs are analyzed by industry. Read More

J Med Internet Res 2019 Jan 29;21(1):e9711. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

University of Washington and Puget Sound Veterans Administration, Seattle, WA, United States.

Background: The cost of workplace injuries and illnesses significantly impacts the overall cost of health care and is a significant annual economic burden in the United States. Many dairy and pork farm owners in the Upper Midwest have expanded operations and taken on the role of manager and employer yet receive little training in injury prevention, farm safety, or workers' compensation programs and processes. Clinicians play a key role in the return to work of injured and ill farmers and farmworkers to their jobs, though little to no formal training is offered by medical schools. Read More

Am J Ind Med 2019 Mar 28;62(3):253-264. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.

Background: Alaska's onshore seafood processing industry is economically vital and hazardous.

Methods: Accepted Alaska workers' compensation claims data from 2014 to 2015 were manually reviewed and coded with the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System and associated work activity. Workforce data were utilized to calculate rates. Read More

Ann Am Thorac Soc 2019 Jan 25. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Rationale: Given that approximately 15% of new onset adult asthma cases originate due to exposures in the workplace, there is a need for systematic and ongoing monitoring of risk among workers.

Objectives: To characterize the risk of new onset adult asthma among workers in Ontario.

Methods: We utilized 575,379 provincial accepted time-loss workers' compensation claimants data linked to physician billing data. Read More

BMC Public Health 2019 Jan 8;19(1):35. Epub 2019 Jan 8.

Department of Health Policy and Management, Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seoul, Seodaemun-gu, 120-752, South Korea.

Background: Cross-national comparisons of the associations of socioeconomic and religious factors with health can facilitate our understanding of differences in health determinants between countries and the development of policies to reduce health differentials appropriate to each country. However, very few such studies have been conducted in East Asia.

Methods: This study set out to compare the associations of socioeconomic and religious factors with health in China and Korea using the 2010 East Asian Social Survey, which was based on nationally representative samples. Read More

J Bone Joint Surg Am 2018 Dec;100(24):2110-2117

Center for Effectiveness Research in Orthopaedics, Greenville, South Carolina.

Background: Movement toward a value-based health-care system necessitates the development of performance measures to compare physicians, hospitals, and health-care systems. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are a potential metric. However, valid use of PROs hinges on the ability to risk-adjust for baseline patient differences across a surgeon's panel of patients. Read More

Inj Prev 2018 Dec 15. Epub 2018 Dec 15.

School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Introduction: RTC burden is commonly measured using fatality or hospitalisation statistics. However, non-fatal and less severe injuries contribute substantial economic and human costs, including work absence. In Victoria, Australia, two major compensation systems provide income support to employed people injured in RTCs; workers' compensation (if RTC occurred during work) and an RTC-specific compensation system. Read More

Appl Health Econ Health Policy 2019 Apr;17(2):231-242

Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Background: Pricing drugs in the California Workers' Compensation System (CAWCS) has become more difficult as there are increasingly fewer drugs listed in the Medi-Cal primary fee schedule, which is used as the source for CAWCS drug prices. This presents a challenge of providing timely and accurate CAWCS reimbursement. The objectives of this study are (1) to explore any trends in physician-dispensed drug prices; (2) to compare the proportion of drugs with and without a price and to determine the financial implications of repricing CAWCS physician-dispensed drugs with five alternative pricing benchmarks; and (3) to offer recommendations for the pricing benchmark to maximize pricing coverage and to remain budget neutral. Read More

Neurosurg Focus 2018 Nov;45(5):E9

3Department of Neurological Surgery, Carolina Neurosurgery and Spine Associates and Neurological Institute, Carolinas Healthcare System, Charlotte, North Carolina.

OBJECTIVEBack pain and neck pain are two of the most common causes of work loss due to disability, which poses an economic burden on society. Due to recent changes in healthcare policies, patient-centered outcomes including return to work have been increasingly prioritized by physicians and hospitals to optimize healthcare delivery. In this study, the authors used a national spine registry to identify clinical factors associated with return to work at 3 months among patients undergoing a cervical spine surgery. Read More

Int J Health Serv 2019 Jan 14;49(1):142-164. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

2 Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linkoping University, Linkoping, Sweden.

This scoping review identified what kinds of work disability policy issues are critiqued in articles published in countries with cause-based versus comprehensive welfare systems. Drawing on a review of work disability policy research, we identified 74 English-language, peer-reviewed articles that focused on program adequacy and design. Articles on cause-based systems dwelled on system fairness and policies of proof of entitlement, while those on comprehensive systems focused more on system design complexities relating to worker inclusion and scope of medical certificates. Read More

PLoS One 2018 8;13(11):e0206274. Epub 2018 Nov 8.

Capital Markets Cooperative Research Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Background: Transport injuries commonly result in significant disease burden, leading to physical disability, mental health deterioration and reduced quality of life. Analyzing the patterns of healthcare service utilization after transport injuries can provide an insight into the health of the affected parties, allow improved health system resource planning, and provide a baseline against which any future system-level interventions can be evaluated. Therefore, this research aims to use time series of service utilization provided by a compensation agency to identify groups of claimants with similar utilization patterns, describe such patterns, and characterize the groups in terms of demographic, accident type and injury type. Read More

Handchir Mikrochir Plast Chir 2018 Sep 7;50(5):353-358. Epub 2018 Nov 7.

Abteilung für Plastische, Hand- und Rekonstruktive Chirurgie, BG Unfallklinik Frankfurt am Main gGmbH.

Background: Finger amputation injuries are frequently treated conditions in occupational accident hospitals. They are either treated by replantation or revision amputation. The costs of these two treatment options differ significantly. Read More

J Occup Rehabil 2018 Oct 29. Epub 2018 Oct 29.

School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia.

Purpose This study sought to describe Australian systems of income support for people with work disability. Specific aims were to summarise and compare the features of the income support systems, including the rehabilitation and employment services funded or provided by those systems, and factors affecting transition between systems. Further objectives were to estimate the prevalence of work disability in Australia and the national expenditure on work disability income support. Read More

Qual Health Res 2018 Oct 10:1049732318803589. Epub 2018 Oct 10.

4 Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal, Montreal, Québec, Canada.

Health care services provided by workers' compensation systems aim to facilitate recovery for injured workers. However, some features of these systems pose barriers to high quality care and challenge health care professionals in their everyday work. We used interpretive description methodology to explore ethical tensions experienced by physical therapists caring for patients with musculoskeletal injuries compensated by Workers' Compensation Boards. Read More

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018 Oct 5;67(39):1094-1097. Epub 2018 Oct 5.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) occurs when the median nerve becomes compressed as it passes through the wrist within the carpal tunnel, resulting in pain, tingling, weakness, or numbness in the hand or the wrist. Occupational risk factors for CTS include engaging in work activities that require forceful, repetitive tasks, prolonged use of the hands or wrists in an awkward posture, or vibration (1). To assess trends and identify high-risk industries and occupations for CTS, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) analyzed California workers' compensation claims for CTS by industry (2007-2014) and occupation (2014) and calculated rates per full-time equivalent (FTE) worker. Read More

Ind Health 2019 Feb 21;57(1):52-69. Epub 2018 Sep 21.

Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL), Italy.

Several studies evaluated whether a person with multiple sclerosis is employed or not and investigated the main symptoms that hinder the job performance. However, despite occupational physicians are fundamental in managing disabled subjects, there is a serious lack of data regarding their role in improving employability of these workers. In this regard, we assessed occupational physicians' professional activity and training/updating needs in order to identify and develop management tools, operative procedures and training programs helpful to support and implement adequate job-retention strategies. Read More

J Opioid Manag 2018 Jul/Aug;14(4):273-281

Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Family & Preventive Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Objectives: Working-age adults are disproportionately impacted by opioid misuse. Factors associated with opioid misuse in people with workers compensation (WC) claims are not well studied. WC in some states is a "captured" market making it a more efficient site for researching the opioids epidemic. Read More

BMC Health Serv Res 2018 Sep 3;18(1):682. Epub 2018 Sep 3.

Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal (CRIR), Montréal, Canada.

Background: In recent years, significant efforts have been made to improve the provision of care for compensated injured workers internationally. However, despite increasing efforts at implementing best practices in this field, some studies show that policies overseeing the organisation of care for injured workers can have perverse influences on healthcare providers' practices and can prevent workers from receiving the best care possible. The influence of these policies on physiotherapists' practices has yet to be investigated. Read More

Rand Health Q 2018 Mar 30;7(4). Epub 2018 Mar 30.

California's workers' compensation (WC) program provides medical care and wage-replacement benefits to workers who suffer on-the-job injuries and illnesses. Individuals who are injured on the job are entitled to receive the medical care they need to relieve the effects of their injury with no deductibles or copayments. Physicians who treat and provide care to injured workers are required to file reports with the WC payer that address the worker's treatment, medical progress, and work-related issues. Read More

Prof Case Manag 2018 Sep/Oct;23(5):256-263

Charlotte Sortedahl, DNP, MPH, MS, RN, CCM, is the Immediate Past Chair of the Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC), the first and largest nationally accredited organization that certifies case managers. She is also an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, where she teaches in the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Jean Krsnak, MSN/MBA, RN, CCM, is a CCMC Commissioner. She is also an Acute Care Case Manager at UC Irvine Medical Center. She has more than 20 years of experience as a registered nurse, in a variety of roles including clinician, staff educator, consultant, and case manager. Her experience is primarily in academic centers and across settings including critical care, medical and surgical telemetry, and oncology. Michelle M. Crook, BSN, RN, CRRN, CCM, is the Secretary and a Commissioner of the CCMC. She has many years of experience as a registered nurse in the health care field and has held a variety of clinical, business, and case management leadership roles, including program manager, health services manager, director of case management and patient services, catastrophic case manager, certified nurse life care planner, and spinal cord injury nurse clinician. Lisa Scotton, MJ, RN, CCM, CDMS, has more than 15 years of experience in disability management, absence management, and benefits working with major employers. She is active with CCMC, which manages and governs the Certified Disability Management Specialist (CDMS) credential.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine how case managers, taking a holistic, patient-centered approach that is grounded in advocacy, have a crucial role to play in the opioid crisis response. This includes providing education, support, and resources to prevent misuse of and addiction to opioids prescribed for pain management and intervening with more resources to help combat the nonmedical use of prescription opioids and heroin.

Primary Practice Settings: In addition to case managers in acute care, workers' compensation, and palliative care, who have frequent contact with patients who are prescribed opioid medications for pain management, all case managers may interact with patients and support systems/families who are directly or indirectly impacted by opioid use, misuse, and addiction. Read More

J Manag Care Spec Pharm 2018 Aug;24(8):819-833

1 School of Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco.

Background: Sales of medical foods (MFs) and convenience packages (CPs) are projected to exceed $2 billion in the United States, with an annual growth rate of 10%. Several studies have highlighted the rapid growth of MF use within the California Workers' Compensation System (CAWCS). To curb this growth, California implemented Assembly Bill 378 (AB 378) in 2012 to regulate physicians' incentives to dispense MFs and CPs. Read More

Work 2018 ;60(3):465-473

Concordia University of Wisconsin, Mequon, WI, USA.

Background: OccuPro's functional capacity evaluation (FCE) is used for assessing the client's readiness to return to work and three separate intra-rater and inter-rater reliability studies are explored here.

Objective: Three separate studies were conducted on injured and un-injured adults to evaluate the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the OccuPro FCE (upper extremity and material handling subtests). All three studies are summarized in this publication. Read More

Am J Manag Care 2018 Jul;24(8 Spec No.):SP273-SP278

University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California St, Ste 420, San Francisco, CA 94118. Email:

Objectives: The use of medical foods (MFs) specifically for non-inborn errors of metabolism (non-IEM) is rising. Concomitantly, evidence for the safety and efficacy of these non-IEM MFs is lacking. We examined the current use and costs of non-IEM MFs and determined whether the scientific evidence supporting their effectiveness and medical utility is adequate to warrant public reimbursement. Read More

J Occup Rehabil 2019 Mar;29(1):212-221

Institute for Work & Health, 481 University Ave., Suite 800, Toronto, ON, M5G 2E9, Canada.

Purpose Health care providers (HCPs) play an important role in return to work (RTW) and in the workers' compensation system. However, HCPs may feel unsure about their responsibilities in the RTW process and experience difficulty making recommendations about RTW readiness and limitations. This study examines the ways in which HCPs and case managers (CMs) perceive HCPs role in the RTW process, and how similarities and differences between these views, in turn, inform expectations of HCPs. Read More

J Athl Train 2018 Jun 13;53(6):606-618. Epub 2018 Jun 13.

Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.

Context:   Health care workers have high rates of musculoskeletal injuries, but many of these injuries go unreported to workers' compensation and national surveillance systems. Little is known regarding the work-related injuries of certified athletic trainers (ATs).

Objective:   To determine the 12-month incidence and prevalence of work-related injuries and describe injury-reporting and -management strategies. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018 06 3;15(6). Epub 2018 Jun 3.

Department of Environmental Health, Korea National Open University, Seoul 03087, Korea.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the hazardous chemical exposure control system in a semiconductor manufacturing company and recommend an appropriate exposure surveillance system for hazardous agents. We reviewed compliance-based chemical exposure data compiled between 2012 and 2014 by the study company. The chemical management system, characteristics of chemical use and hazardous gas monitoring system were also investigated. Read More

PLoS One 2018 1;13(6):e0198128. Epub 2018 Jun 1.

Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Individuals who are injured in the workplace typically have a greater risk of delayed return to work (RTW) and other poor health outcomes compared to those not injured at work. It is not known whether these differences hold true for mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI). The present study examined differences associated with workplace and non-workplace MTBI upon intake to a specialty MTBI clinic, their outcomes, and risk factors that influence RTW. Read More

Int J Law Psychiatry 2018 May - Jun;58:97-104. Epub 2018 Apr 13.

Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa, Canada; Seafarers International Research Centre, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, UK. Electronic address:

Workplace injuries are a serious public health problem, potentially leading to loss of earnings, medical expenses, disability and even death for working people. Maritime transport workers - seafarers - are exposed to higher risks of workplace injuries than is the general land-based workforce. China has the world's largest population of international seafarers. Read More

PLoS One 2018 25;13(5):e0197449. Epub 2018 May 25.

Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America.

Introduction: California's Workers' Compensation System (CAWCS) Department of Industrial Relations questioned the adequacy of the current Medi-Cal fee-schedule pricing and requested analysis of alternatives that maximize price availability and maintain budget neutrality.

Objectives: To compare CAWCS pharmacy-dispensed (PD) drug prices under alternative fee schedules, and identify combinations of alternative benchmarks that have prices available for the largest percentage of PD drugs and that best reach budget neutrality.

Methods: Claims transaction-level data (2011-2013) from CAWCS were used to estimate total annual PD pharmaceutical payments. Read More

J Hand Surg Am 2018 Nov 18;43(11):971-977.e1. Epub 2018 May 18.

Department of Orthopaedics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.

Purpose: Carpal tunnel release (CTR) is a common surgical procedure, representing a financial burden to the health care system. The purpose of this study was to test whether the choice of CTR technique (open carpal tunnel release [OCTR] vs endoscopic carpal tunnel release [ECTR]), surgical setting (operating room vs procedure room [PR]), and anesthetic type (local, monitored anesthesia care [MAC], Bier block, general) affected costs or payments.

Methods: Consecutive adult patients undergoing isolated unilateral CTR between July 2014, and October 2017, at a single academic medical center were identified. Read More

Disabil Rehabil 2018 May 17:1-10. Epub 2018 May 17.

b Institute for Work and Health , Toronto , Canada.

Purpose: Workers who are injured or become ill on the job are best able to return-to-work when stakeholders involved in their case collaborate and communicate. This study examined health care providers' and case managers' engagement in rehabilitation and return-to-work following workplace injury or illness.

Method: In-depth interviews were conducted with 97 health care providers and 34 case managers in four Canadian provinces about their experiences facilitating rehabilitation and return-to-work, and interacting with system stakeholders. Read More

Am J Emerg Med 2018 Aug 25;36(8):1455-1458. Epub 2018 Apr 25.

West Virginia University, School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, United States.

Background: Work-related injuries are commonly seen in the emergency department (ED). This study sought to analyze characteristics of ED patient visits that were billed under workers' compensation.

Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of visits during 2015 that were billed under workers' compensation at an academic ED. Read More

Ann Work Expo Health 2018 May;62(5):530-546

Univ Angers, CHU Angers, Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail) - UMR_S, Angers, France.

Objectives: To compare the data of the French workers' compensation system (WCS) and three surveillance networks, and to determine the possibility of identifying the industry sectors most in need of programs for prevention of low-back pain (LBP).

Methods: This study compared four databases and two types of indicators in a west central region of France: • surveillance of musculoskeletal symptoms in the working population [LBP and disc-related sciatica (DRS) indicators; Cosali study] • surveillance of uncompensated work-related diseases (LBP and DRS indicators) • surveillance of lumbar disc surgery (LDS) in the general population (DRS indicator) • French WCS (disc herniation with radiculopathy caused by vibration or handling of materials; DRS indicator) People aged 20-59 were studied. The prevention index (PI) was used to rank industry sectors according to the number of cases and the prevalence/incidence rate. Read More

Inj Epidemiol 2018 Apr 16;5(1):18. Epub 2018 Apr 16.

Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA.

Background: This study evaluated the efficacy of a fire department proactive risk management program aimed at reducing firefighter injuries and their associated costs.

Methods: Injury data were collected for the intervention fire department and a contemporary control department. Workers' compensation claim frequency and costs were analyzed for the intervention fire department only. Read More

BMC Public Health 2018 03 27;18(1):413. Epub 2018 Mar 27.

Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL), Rome, Italy.

Background: Many carcinogenic chemicals are still used or produced in several economic sectors. The aim of this study is to investigate differences in occupational exposure patterns to carcinogens by gender in Italy.

Methods: Information about the most common carcinogens recorded in the Italian occupational exposures database (SIREP) for the period 1996-2015 was retrieved. Read More

Orthopedics 2018 May 26;41(3):e389-e394. Epub 2018 Mar 26.

Little research has been conducted evaluating surgical trends during the past 10 years and subsequent procedure risk factors for patients undergoing bone-blocking procedures for the treatment of anterior shoulder instability. The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System database was queried between 2003 and 2014 to identify patients undergoing soft tissue or bone-blocking procedures for anterior shoulder instability in New York. Patient demographics and 1-year subsequent procedures were analyzed. Read More

J Thorac Dis 2018 Jan;10(Suppl 2):S221-S227

Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene Department, Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Unit, Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL), Rome, Italy.

Background: As a legacy of the large asbestos consumption until the definitive ban in 1992, Italy is currently suffering a severe epidemic of asbestos related diseases. The aim of this paper is to describe the surveillance system for mesothelioma incidence and to provide evidences regarding the occurrence of the disease in Italy and the circumstances of asbestos exposure.

Methods: Italian National Register of Malignant Mesotheliomas (ReNaM) is a permanent surveillance system of mesothelioma incidence, with Regional Operating Centres (CORs) active in each Italian region, identifying incident malignant mesothelioma (MM) cases from health care structures. Read More

J Occup Rehabil 2019 Mar;29(1):64-71

Insurance Work and Health Group, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Purpose To determine whether healthcare use and return-to-work (RTW) outcomes differ with GPs' injured-worker caseload. Methods Retrospective analyses of the Compensation Research Database, which captures approximately 85% of all injured worker claims in Victoria, Australia was conducted. Four injured-worker caseload groups were examined that represented the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 100th percentiles of claimants seen per GP over the 8-year study period (2003-2010): (i) 1-13 claimants; (ii) 14-26 claimants; (iii) 27-48 claimants; and (iv) 49+ claimants (total claims, n = 124,342; total GPs, n = 9748). Read More

Hum Exp Toxicol 2018 Oct 6;37(10):1069-1079. Epub 2018 Feb 6.

1 Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.

The widespread industrial application of nanomaterials (NMs) has dramatically increased the likelihood of environmental and occupational exposure of humans to such xenobiotics. This issue, together with the increasing public health interest in understanding the effects of chemicals on endocrine system, encouraged to investigate the disruptive potential of NMs on the endocrine function. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of palladium nanoparticles (Pd-NPs) on the female reproductive system of Wistar rats, intravenously exposed to different doses (0. Read More

Am J Ind Med 2018 03 31;61(3):189-197. Epub 2018 Jan 31.

University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, Illinois.

Background: The working poor are at highest risk of work-related injuries and have limited access to occupational health care.

Objectives: To explore community health centers (CHCs) as a venue for accessing at risk workers; and to examine the experience, knowledge, and perceptions of workers' compensation (WC) among the working poor.

Methods: Key informant interviews were conducted among patients in waiting rooms of rural and urban CHCs. Read More

Nanotoxicology 2018 04 1;12(3):224-238. Epub 2018 Feb 1.

d HCTm, Co. Ltd. , Icheon , Korea.

Graphene oxides possess unique physicochemical properties with important potential applications in electronics, pharmaceuticals, and medicine. However, the toxicity following inhalation exposure to graphene oxide has not yet been clarified. Therefore, this study conducted a short-term graphene oxide inhalation toxicity analysis using a nose-only inhalation exposure system and male Sprague-Dawley rats. Read More

BMJ Open 2018 01 27;8(1):e019276. Epub 2018 Jan 27.

School of Physical Therapy, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Introduction: Permanent functional impairment (PFI) of the spine is a rating system used by compensation authorities, such as workers compensation boards, to establish an appropriate level of financial compensation for persistent loss of function. Determination of PFI of the spine is commonly based on the assessment of spinal movement combined with other measures of physical and functional impairments; however, the reliability and validity of the measurement instruments used for these evaluations have yet to be established. The aim of this study is to systematically review and synthesise the literature concerning measurement properties of the various and different instruments used for assessing PFI of the spine. Read More

Work 2018 ;59(2):211-229

Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, Olympia, WA, USA.

Background: Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) experience a high risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) and are further made vulnerable by their situation in low levels of workplace and societal hierarchies of power and privilege.

Objective: This study applies structural vulnerability theory to CNA WMSD experiences in order to identify structural factors that may influence such injuries.

Methods: A sample of CNAs (n = 26) working in Nursing and Residential Care Facilities (NRCFs) was selected from workers who filed a claim during 2011-2014 for a WMSD of the back, shoulder, knee, or hand/wrist in the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries workers' compensation system. Read More