Work Restrictions: Documenting a Patient’s Return to Work

Details

• Personal Author:
  Rupe KL
• Description:
  On an average day, approximately 4% of the entire U.S. workforce is absent from work. The National Safety Council estimates that occupational injuries or illnesses cause more than 80 million lost workdays. About 1.2 million employees lost an average of 7 days due to injury or illness. According to the Work Loss Data Institute, the estimated costs to employers for these absences exceed $1.275 trillion. Employers can spend up to 21.7% of total payrolls covering direct and indirect costs associated with these absences. Patients often ask NPs to write work excuses, but this may not be in the patient's best interest. The longer an employee is away from work, the less likely he or she will return to work. Most people identify their sense of self-worth from what they do for a living, and a prolonged absence from work can inadvertently encourage a patient to assume a sick role. By using specific strategies that address the work environment, the patient can be returned to work at the earliest yet safest time. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Absenteeism Case Reports Occupational Health Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Leave Of Absence Case Studies Cost Estimates Costs Disabled Workers Diseases Injuries Lost Work Days Return To Work Work Capability Work Environment Worker Health Worker Motivation Workers Work Excuses Work Restrictions

  More +
• ISSN:
  0361-1817
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  49-53
• Volume:
  35
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062883
• Citation:
  Nurse Pract 2010 Nov; 35(11):49-53
• Contact Point Address:
  Kerri L. Rupe, Associate Professor, University of Iowa, College of Nursing; Nurse Practitioner, River Hills Community Health Center; and a COHN-S at University of Iowa HealthWorks, Iowa City, IA
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  The Nurse Practitioner
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c6677a8ba181b17847c855bc5d3e251934f928023e036ea5fd9c127320408745b456a761f19191ad9cd840546db5b0d36e926124fad62cea00cedb9f4c6f2bf8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/226056/cdc_226056_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.40 MB ]