CTS INCIDENCE AND CORRELATES OF WORKERS COMP CLAIMS

描述：(改编自《调查人员摘要》)数据在 腕管综合征(CTS)在普通人群中的发病率，以及 对工作场所环境的估计在不同的工人薪酬中差异很大， OSHA可记录疾病的日志和其他管理数据来源。 一些与工作相关的CTS患者没有提交赔偿的原因 据信，索赔包括各种因素，如获得医疗保健的机会 以及与工作相关的发病率、雇主的医疗管理等信息 和重返工作岗位计划，以及工人感觉到的工作保障和 预计会成功提出赔偿要求。拟议的试验性研究 寻求确定使用大型健康数据的可行性 维护组织估计腕管综合征的发生率 从马萨诸塞州将军的一个相对定义明确的样本 并估计在这些事件中， 可能是和工作有关。采用回溯性、动态的队列研究设计， 将使用计算机化的文件、医疗记录和结构化访谈 识别和描述CTS病例。关于病因学的信息 相关的职业暴露将从面试中获得，并 对与工作相关的概率进行评分。在案件许可的情况下， 将联系雇主进行有组织的面试以获取信息 关于职业人体工效学及以上方面的知识和态度 四肢肌肉骨骼疾病，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……里面 此外，还将提取工伤赔偿的手续 从医疗表和工人索赔记录和 赔偿款项将从州工业部获得 意外事故。与工作有关的案件有和没有提交工人的 将对索赔进行比较，试图确定两者 可能成为障碍或激励因素的个人和职业因素 申领申领或领取福利有限的成本和社会数据以及 家庭负担将为有和没有工作相关的案件编制 补偿。

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.