Abstract
Background: Return to work is an important outcome following traumatic work-related hand injuries. It is unclear how psychosocial factors affect the time to return to work following traumatic work-related hand injury. Aims: To investigate the relationships between hand injury severity, self-perceived health, demographics and time off work (TOW) following traumatic work-related hand injuries and the influence of psychosocial factors on the readiness of return to work. Methods: Data from 120 traumatic work-related hand injured patients were gathered. The Modified Hand Injury Severity Score (MHISS) and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) were used to assess the severity of hand trauma and self-perceived health, respectively. The relationships between MHISS, SF-36, demographics and TOW were analysed by multiple regression analysis. Results: Mean duration of TOW was 127 days for patients with a mild MHISS, 108 days for a moderate score, 160 days for a severe score and 236 days for those with a major score. A positive correlation between MHISS and duration of TOW was identified. Self-perceived physical functioning was found to have a negative correlation with TOW, whereas self-perceived mental health was positively correlated with TOW. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of self-perceived health in considering return to work following traumatic work-related hand injury.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 295-297 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Occupational Medicine |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 06 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Return to work
- Self-perceived health
- Time off work
- Work-related hand injuries
