Using Injury Severity to Improve Occupational Injury Trend Estimates

作者：Sears Jeanne M^*; Bowman Stephen M; Hogg Johnson Sheilah

来源：American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2014, 57(8): 928-939.

DOI：10.1002/ajim.22329

• injury severity
• abbreviated injury scale
• injury trends
• injury surveillance
• occupational injuries
• hospital discharge data
• workers%26apos
• compensation
• occupational health indicator

Background Hospitalization-based estimates of trends in injury incidence are also affected by trends in health care practices and payer coverage that may differentially impact minor injuries. This study assessed whether implementing a severity threshold would improve occupational injury surveillance. %26lt;br%26gt;Methods Hospital discharge data from four states and a national survey were used to identify traumatic injuries (1998-2009). Negative binomial regression was used to model injury trends with/without severity restriction, and to test trend divergence by severity. %26lt;br%26gt;Results Trend estimates were generally biased downward in the absence of severity restriction, more so for occupational than non-occupational injuries. Restriction to severe injuries provided a markedly different overall picture of trends. %26lt;br%26gt;Conclusions Severity restriction may improve occupational injury trend estimates by reducing temporal biases such as increasingly restrictive hospital admission practices, constricting workers%26apos; compensation coverage, and decreasing identification/reporting of minor work-related injuries. Injury severity measures should be developed for occupational injury surveillance systems.

• 出版日期2014-8