Overview of Occupational Injuries Among Registered Nurses in Washington State, 2007 to 2019

Details

• Personal Author:
  Amberson T ; Graves JM ; Sears JM
• Description:
  Background: Registered nurses (RNs) represent the largest segment of the health care workforce and have unique job demands and occupational health considerations. The purpose of this study was to describe the incidence, cost, and causes of occupational injuries among RNs in Washington State and to quantify the cumulative cost and burden of each type of injury, relative to all injuries among RNs. Methods: Annual injury claims data covered under Washington State workers' compensation (WC) fund were analyzed over a 13-year period (2007-2019). Annual mean incidence and cost of injuries were calculated and stratified by nature, source, and event/exposure. Negative binomial regression models were used to examine trends in injury incidence over time, for injury incidence overall, and by the most common injury classifications. Results: Between 2007 and 2019, 10,839 WC claims were filed and accepted for Washington State RNs (annual M = 834), totaling more than US$65 million. No significant trend in overall injury incidence was observed (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.94, 1.05]). The most common injury exposures were bodily reaction and exertion, contact with objects and equipment, falls, and assaults and violent acts. Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first broad study of the incidence and costs of occupational injuries among RNs across all workplace settings. We identified high-cost, high-frequency incidence rates of musculoskeletal, sharp, and violence-related occupational injury claims, highlighting intervention targets. Implications for Occupational Health Practice: Policy makers, health systems, and occupational health nurse leaders can use this information to identify priority areas where evidence-based occupational health and prevention programs are most needed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Epidemiology Health Personnel Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Safety Violence
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Registered Nurse Injuries MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Nurses Occupational Injury Sharps Workers' Compensation Workers Compensation
• ISSN:
  2165-0799
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement ; Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Oregon ; OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  187-195
• Volume:
  72
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069073
• Citation:
  Workplace Health Saf 2024 May; 72(5):187-195
• Contact Point Address:
  Taryn Amberson, MPH, RN-BC, University of Washington, Department of Health Systems and Population Health, ATTN: Taryn Amberson, 1959 NE Pacific St., H-wing, Sixth Floor, Box 357660, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
• Email:
  amberson.taryn@gmail.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• NORA Priority Area:
  Healthcare and Social Assistance ; Public Safety
• Performing Organization:
  Oregon Health & Science University, Portland
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20110901
• Source Full Name:
  Workplace Health & Safety
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3fe99e447d6a66a9f54052eb2d1cad75471017edad02167a5937ce34ff01ca63e5f98ed9f2198ce36dbc276123550db7205d0df7ab52265edc8cc1b88f8cf8a3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207619/cdc_207619_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 216.55 KB ]