Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal injuries in health care workers: the implications for work disability management

Abstract

To compare the prevalence of musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal injuries in a cohort of workers in Manitoba health care sector, who made injury claims between 2002 and 2012. A retrospective study, using secondary data from WCB Manitoba. Logistic regression was used to determine odds ratios for nature of work-related injuries among different groups of workers. Idiopathic work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) constituted 74.6% of all the injury claims. Injury risks varied between worker groups, and a significant difference was found within the female group, χ² = 13.4, p = 0.0094, but not among the males. Compared to the married, single workers were more likely to experience traumatic than idiopathic injuries (OR = 1.72, CI, 1.28, 2.29), and much higher risk of traumatic injuries than non-WMSD (OR = 1.93, CI, 1.31, 2.84). Work-related injury risks vary significantly across occupations and worker groups, with idiopathic injuries being higher in high physical tasks. Practitioner Summary: To compare musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal injuries among workers in health care sector, and explore the implications for work disability management. Retrospective study, using workers' compensation claims data. The risk of idiopathic work-related musculoskeletal disorders continue to be high compared to traumatic and non-musculoskeletal disorders, particularly in tasks that involved high physical activities.

Keywords: Idiopathic injuries; health care sector; traumatic injuries; work-related musculoskeletal disorders; workplace injuries.