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Do Health Service Use and Return-to-Work Outcomes Differ with GPs' Injured-Worker Caseload?
- Source :
- Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation; Mar2019, Vol. 29 Issue 1, p64-71, 8p, 1 Diagram, 2 Charts
- Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- Purpose To determine whether healthcare use and return-to-work (RTW) outcomes differ with GPs' injured-worker caseload. Methods Retrospective analyses of the Compensation Research Database, which captures approximately 85% of all injured worker claims in Victoria, Australia was conducted. Four injured-worker caseload groups were examined that represented the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 100th percentiles of claimants seen per GP over the 8-year study period (2003-2010): (i) 1-13 claimants; (ii) 14-26 claimants; (iii) 27-48 claimants; and (iv) 49+ claimants (total claims, nā=ā124,342; total GPs, nā=ā9748).The characteristics of claimants in each caseload group, as well as the influence of caseload on three outcomes relevant to RTW (weekly compensation paid, work incapacity days, medical-and-like costs), were examined. Results Distinct profiles for high versus low caseload groups emerged. High caseload GPs treated significantly more men in blue collar occupations and issued significantly more 'alternate duties' certificates. Conversely, low caseload GPs treated significantly more women in white collar occupations, predominantly for mental health injuries, and issued significantly more 'unfit-for-work' certificates. Few significant differences were found between the two intermediate GP caseload groups. High caseload was associated with significantly greater medical-and-like costs, however, no caseload group differences were detected for weekly compensation paid or duration of time-off-work. Conclusions Training GPs who have a low injured-worker caseload in workers' compensation processes, utilising high caseload GPs in initiatives involving peer-to-peer support, or system changes where employers are encouraged to provide preventive or rehabilitative support in the workplace may improve RTW outcomes for injured workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- BLUE collar workers
CHI-squared test
EMPLOYMENT reentry
EPIDEMIOLOGY
FAMILY medicine
EMPLOYMENT of people with disabilities
MEDICAL care
RESEARCH funding
STATISTICS
WHITE collar workers
WORKERS' compensation
WOUNDS & injuries
EMPLOYEES' workload
DATA analysis
RETROSPECTIVE studies
DATA analysis software
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
MANN Whitney U Test
KRUSKAL-Wallis Test
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 10530487
- Volume :
- 29
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 135086467
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-018-9765-y