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Claims-based surveillance to identify injury precursors.

Tollerud-DJ

NIOSH 2004 Mar; :1-4

20024528

The purpose of this project is to improve workplace safety and health through research aimed at developing a cost-effective claims-based injury and illness surveillance system which has broad applicability. A database and prospective record linking system will be used to create a workplace surveillance program. In Specific Aim I, procedures and protocols will be developed to transform Workers' Compensation Claims data into a surveillance system for work-related injuries and illnesses. Reports which track workplace injuries and illness events by department will be generated and provided to the employer. In Specific Aim II, the degree to which the claims-based surveillance system under-reports workplace injuries and illnesses will be determined. Workers' compensation claims databases generally include detailed information only on injuries sufficiently severe to require medical treatment. Occupational injury and illness rates and characteristics identified through the surveillance system will be compared with a more comprehensive Employee Injury Report used by the City, to assess the magnitude of under-reporting by the claims-based system. In Specific Aim III, claims-based data will be used to develop and test methods to identify patterns which predict precursor events that could be addressed through primary prevention actions. Time series models will be applied on medical claims data collected under this study to explore the issue of identifying important indicators of injury events usable by employers to inform them of changes in workplace safety. In Specific Aim IV, employer guidelines will be developed for using their workers' compensation medical claims databases for surveillance activities. This will result in an explicit product to guide employers in translating their workers' compensation claims data into a feasible, low-cost and functional surveillance program.

Surveillance-programs; Injuries; Injury-prevention; Safety-measures; Work-environment; Occupational-safety-programs; Occupational-health; Medical-treatment

20040301

Final Grant Report

493480

Grant

2004

PB2007-109896

A01

Grant-Number-R01-OH-004020

OEP

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

PA; KY

University of Louisville Research Foundation Inc., Louisville, Kentucky