Colleen Daly, MPH¹, Thomas M. Wickizer, PhD¹, Martha Perla, MPA¹, and Gary F. Franklin, MD, MPH². (1) Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Box 357660, Seattle, WA 98195-7660, 206:616-2983, cdaly@u.washington.edu, (2) Department of Environmental Health, University of Washington, Box 357660, Seattle, WA 98040

A two-year prospective study, conducted between 1996-1998, assessed change in disability burden among injured workers in Washington State. A total of 1,313 workers who experienced occupationally related injuries or illnesses between April 1995 and June 1996 were interviewed by telephone at 6 weeks after injury regarding their health outcomes as assessed through the SF-36, the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and the Satisfaction with Quality of Life (QOL) instruments. Workers whose injuries resulted in four or more lost work days (n=372) were also interviewed at 6 months and 2 years after injury using similar surveys. We examined patterns of disability 6 weeks, 6 months and 2 years after injury, among workers who returned to work, as measured by self-reported health status indicators. Two years after injury, 90% of workers returned to work, but 27% of those workers reported missing additional days due to their injury. There was little difference in percentage of workers (35%) reporting at 6 weeks or 6 months that pain interfered with their work, but significantly (p<.0001) fewer workers reported pain interfering with their job at 2 years after injury (7%). About 25% of workers reported a SF-36 physical functioning score below 50 (moderate), at both 6 months and 2 years. Among workers who return to work after injury, a measurable portion continued to experience some health problems. Return to work provides a valuable measure for evaluative studies and other analyses but may be limited as an outcome measure. Assessing health status of workers who return to work, if feasible, provides a useful complement to measuring only return to work.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the patterns in disability observed 6 weeks, 6 months, and 2 years after injury, among workers who return to work.
• Identify health status indictors that contribute to health problems among workers who return to work after injury.
• Recognize the potential importance of assessing health status among workers who return to work after injury, as compared to only measuring return work.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.