CTS INCIDENCE AND CORRELATES OF WORKERS COMP CLAIMS

描述：（改编自研究者摘要） 一般人群中腕管综合征（CTS）的发病率，以及 工作场所的估计数在工人的赔偿金方面差别很大， 可记录疾病的OSHA日志和其他管理数据源。 一些患有与工作有关的CTS的人不提交赔偿的原因 索赔被认为包括各种各样的因素， 以及与工作有关的疾病、雇主的医疗管理 和重返工作岗位计划，以及工人对工作保障的感知， 在提出赔偿要求方面取得了预期的成功。 拟议的试点研究 旨在确定使用大型健康数据的可行性， 腕管综合征的治疗方法有哪些 来自相对明确的马萨诸塞州将军样本 人口，并估计这些事件的比例， 可能是工作相关的。 使用回顾性、动态队列研究设计， 将使用计算机化档案、医疗记录和结构化面谈 以识别和描述CTS病例。 关于病因学的信息 将从访谈中获得相关的职业暴露， 根据与工作相关的可能性进行评分。 如果凯斯允许， 雇主将被联系进行结构化面试，以获取信息 关于职业工效学和上层建筑的知识和态度 肢体肌肉骨骼疾病，内部医疗管理计划， 员工健康福利，以及与工作相关的CTS的可能成本。 在 此外，还将劳动者赔偿金的支付程序抽象化， 从医疗图表和工人索赔记录中， 赔偿金将从国家工业部获得 事故为重点 与工作有关的案件， 将对赔偿要求进行比较，以确定 可能成为障碍或激励因素的个人和职业因素 申报或领取福利。 关于成本和社会及 家庭负担将被汇编为与工作有关的案件， 赔偿

DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from Investigator's Abstract) Data are sparse on the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in the general population, and estimates from workplace settings vary widely among workers' compensation, OSHA logs of recordable illnesses, and other administrative data sources. The reasons that some people with work-related CTS do not file compensation claims are believed to include factors as varied as access to medical care and information about work-related morbidity, employers' medical management and return-to-work programs, and workers' perceived job security and expected success in filing compensation claims. The proposed pilot study seeks to determine the feasibility of using data from a large health maintenance organization to estimate the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome from a relatively well-defined sample of the Massachusetts general population and to estimate the proportion of those incident cases that are likely work-related. Using a retrospective, dynamic cohort study design, computerized files, medical records and structured interviews will be used to identify and characterize CTS cases. Information about etiologically relevant occupational exposures will be obtained from the interviews and scored as to probability of work-relatedness. With cases' permission, employers will be contacted for structured interviews to obtain information regarding knowledge and attitudes about occupational ergonomics and upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders, in-house medical management programs, employee health benefits, and possible costs of work-related CTS. In addition, workers' compensation payment for procedures will be abstracted from the medical charts, and records of workers' compensation claims and indemnity payments will be obtained from the state Department of Industrial Accidents. Work-related cases who did and did not file workers' compensation claims will be compared in an attempt to identify both individual and occupational factors that may act as barriers or incentives to claim filing or receiving benefits. Limited data on cost and social and family burden will be compiled for work-related cases with and without compensation.