Explore the latest insights into the in-hospital complications of work-related musculoskeletal injuries. This blog post delves into recent research findings, shedding light on the importance of preventive measures in the workplace and the impact of these injuries on healthcare systems.
– by James
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In-hospital complications of work-related musculoskeletal injuries.
Wah et al., Injury 2023
DOI: 10.1016/j.injury.2023.111211
This study investigates the incidence and factors associated with in-hospital complications of work-related musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries. The research is based on hospital admission data from the Victorian Admitted Episodes Database from 2016-2022.
Key findings:
- In-hospital complications occurred in 6.3% of work-related MSK injury admissions.
- Factors associated with in-hospital complications include ages ≥45 years, female sex, area-level disadvantage, stay at public hospitals, comorbidity, emergency admissions, and general anaesthesia.
- Complication rates were higher in hospitalised workers with direct head, neck, and trunk injuries and cumulative MSK disorders than those with direct extremities injuries and acute MSK conditions.
- The most common complications were cardiovascular, gastrointestinal complications and adverse drug events.
This study contributes to the literature by identifying patient, injury, and hospital-related characteristics associated with in-hospital complications of work-related MSK injuries. This information can be used to inform prevention strategies and risk estimation by hospital staff and workers’ compensation schemes. The results highlight a significant rate of complications, particularly given the relatively young and healthy study population.