Prevalence, Predictors and Wage Replacement Duration Associated with Diagnostic Imaging in Australian Workers with Accepted Claims for Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
Diagnostic imaging
Low back pain
Work disability
Workers’ compensation
Journal
Journal of occupational rehabilitation
ISSN: 1573-3688
Titre abrégé: J Occup Rehabil
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 9202814
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
03 2022
03 2022
Historique:
accepted:
16
04
2021
pubmed:
30
4
2021
medline:
28
4
2022
entrez:
29
4
2021
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Objectives To determine in Australian workers with an accepted workers' compensation claim for low back pain (LBP) (1) the prevalence of diagnostic imaging of the spine and factors associated with its use, and (2) the association between spinal diagnostic imaging events and wage replacement duration. Methods Workers with accepted workers' compensation claims for LBP longer than 2 weeks were grouped by whether workers' compensation funded no, single, or multiple diagnostic spinal imaging in the 2 years since reported LBP onset. Ordinal logistic regression was used to define the demographic, occupational and social factors associated with each group. Time-to-event analysis was used to determine the association between spinal imaging and wage replacement duration. Results In the sample of 30,530 workers, 9267 (30.4%) received single spinal imaging and 6202 (20.3%) received multiple spinal imaging. Male workers and workers from the state of Victoria had significantly higher odds of multiple imaging. Socioeconomically advantaged workers and workers from remote Australia had significantly lower odds of multiple imaging. Magnetic Resonance Imaging was the most common imaging modality. Workers with single spinal imaging (median duration 17.0 weeks; HR 2.0, 95% CI 1.9, 2.1) and multiple spinal imaging (median duration 49.0 weeks; HR 4.0, 95% CI 3.9, 4.1) had significantly longer wage replacement duration than those with no imaging (median duration 6.1 weeks). Conclusions Over half of Australian workers with an accepted workers' compensation claim for LBP longer than 2 weeks received diagnostic spinal imaging. Receipt of diagnostic imaging, particularly multiple imaging, was associated with longer wage replacement duration.
Identifiants
pubmed: 33913056
doi: 10.1007/s10926-021-09981-8
pii: 10.1007/s10926-021-09981-8
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
55-63Informations de copyright
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
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