TY - JOUR PY - 2015// TI - Musculoskeletal disorders and associated healthcare costs among family members of injured workers JO - American journal of industrial medicine A1 - Asfaw, Abay A1 - Pana-Cryan, Regina A1 - Bushnell, Tim A1 - Sauter, Steven SP - 1205 EP - 1216 VL - 58 IS - 11 N2 - BACKGROUND: Research has infrequently looked beyond the injured worker when gauging the burden of occupational injury.

OBJECTIVES: We explored the relationship between occupational injury and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among family members of injured workers. DATA AND METHODS: We used 2005 and 2006 Truven Health Analytics databases, which contain information on workers' compensation and family healthcare claims. We used descriptive analyses, and negative binomial and two-part models.

RESULTS: Family members of severely injured workers had a 15% increase in the total number of MSD outpatient claims and a 34% increase in the mean cost of MSD claims compared to family members of non-severely injured workers within 3 months after injury. Extrapolating cost results to the national level implies that severe occupational injury would be associated with between $29 and $33 million additional cost of family member outpatient MSD claims.

CONCLUSION: Occupational injury can impose a formerly unrecognized health burden on family members of injured workers. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2015. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0271-3586 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajim.22500 ID - ref1 ER -