270171 Use of multiple data source to enumerate work-related amputations in Massachusetts

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM

Letitia Davis, ScD , Occupational Health Surveillance Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA
Kathleen Grattan, MPH , Occupational Health Surveillance Program, MA Department of Public Health, Boston, MA
Lucy Bullock , Occupational Health Surveillance Program, MA Department of Public Health (formerly), Boston, MA
SangWoo Tak, ScD , Occupational Health Surveillance Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA
Leslie Boden, PhD , School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA
Al Ozonoff, PhD , Clinical Research Center, Design and Analysis Core, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA
Background: Accurate surveillance information about work-related (WR) injuries is essential to guide prevention efforts. Innovative approaches that combine information from multiple sources are needed. Massachusetts piloted multi-data source surveillance of WR amputations. Methods: WR amputations during 2007-2008 were identified using the Massachusetts Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) sample and four administrative data sets: workers' compensation records (WC) and inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department data –collectively referred to as Case Mix (CM) data. Potential WR amputations were identified using injury and procedure codes and narrative text searches. Medical records for potential CM cases were abstracted to obtain personal/employer identifiers and assess work-relatedness. Data sets were linked and case inclusion criteria were applied to enumerate a final statewide count of cases. Capture rates by data source and characteristics of cases captured by different sources were examined. Results: Application of selection criteria yielded 447 and 2,630 potential WR amputations in WC and CM data, respectively, and approximately 60 cases in the SOII sample. After matching and application of inclusion criteria, approximately 800 WR amputations were identified. This count far exceeded the 210 cases estimated by SOII for 2007-08. Some cases were reported in the SOII as other injuries and some were not eligible for inclusion. Reasons for ineligibility will be presented. Conclusions: Use of multiple data sources identifies substantially more WR amputations than any single source. It enhances our ability to characterize injury burden but also poses practical challenges.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Epidemiology
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Identify state data sources that can be used for surveillance of work-related injuries Discuss the advantages of using multiple data sources for occupational injury surveillance Charactrize issues in defining work-related amputations

Keywords: Occupational Surveillance, Injuries

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have directed the Occupational health surviellance program at MDPH for over 25 years and have the principal investigator of multiple occupational health surveillance research studies and implementation projects.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4056.0: Surveillance of Work-related Injuries and Illnesses