An Examination of Washington State Workers’ Compensation Claims for Home-Based Health Care Workers, 2006 to 2016: Part 2. Injury Rates and Trends

Details

• Personal Author:
  Adams D ; Cole J ; Howard NL ; Marcum J
• Description:
  Research of home-based health care (HBHC) has shown that care providers suffer from a high rate of injuries. Analysis of workers' compensation records, a reliable source for injury and illness data, enables the identification of trends within a specific working population. HBHC workers' compensation compensable claims in Washington State from 2006 to 2016 were compared to clinical health care (CHC) claims. Injury event and source attributed to HBHC claims were also analyzed, with a focus on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Though CHC had 5 times the number of full-time employees during the study period, HBHC grew by 61.1%, compared to 28.7% in CHC. Claim rates for all compensable claims and WMSD claims consistently decreased year-over-year for both HBHC and CHC. WMSD claims experienced a year-over-year decline of 5.3%; for all compensable claims the decline was 4.5%. Analysis of HBHC claim rates by injury event found WMSD had the highest rates, followed by falls from the same level. However, the largest annual change was for the injury event overexertion (-10.1%, 95%CI: -13.4, -6.8). HBHC injuries attributable to the health care patient were the most common. Claims with this injury source declined annually by 6.0%. Claim rates for injuries to the back region, and specifically back WMSDs, were consistently higher year-over-year compared to other body regions and WMSD types. Claims for injuries to the back declined by an annual rate of 6.6% (95% CI: -7.9, -5.3), while back WMSD claims decreased by 6.4% (94% CI: -7.8, -4.9). [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Epidemiology Health Personnel Home Care Services Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Costs Back Injuries Falls Health Care Workers Home-based Health Care Home Health Care Injuries MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Occupational Injuries Surveillance Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders Workers' Compensation Workers Compensation

  More +
• ISSN:
  1084-8223
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  202-213
• Volume:
  34
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067962
• Citation:
  Home Health Care Manag Pract 2022 Aug; 34(3):202-213
• Contact Point Address:
  Ninica L. Howard, Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, P.O. Box 44330, Tumwater, WA 98504, USA
• Email:
  howo235@lni.wa.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Home Health Care Management and Practice
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ab532313087fac28442be2ddc74119dbae13276cdfba20a900dadf145615d42555d52dccc36e1f613c9656007dfd3b8596dd836ccbc4fa5a4e46020a2f28557d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230194/cdc_230194_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 446.97 KB ]