Work-Related Injury and Illness Surveillance Through Multiple Data Sources, a Pilot Project

• Activity Number: 655
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Thursday, August 5, 2010 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Survey Research Methods
• Author(s): Sara E. Wuellner*+ and David Bonauto and Nicole Riester and Cody Spann
• Companies: Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries and Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries and Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries and Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries
• Keywords: occupational injuries and illnesses ; surveillance

Abstract

Recent efforts to improve surveillance of workplace injuries and illnesses have focused on utilizing multiple data sources for the estimation or enumeration of cases. In a feasibility study of this multi-data source approach, we attempt to identify cases from the Washington State-based workers' compensation database, hospital discharge data, trauma registry data, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illness. This approach at state-based surveillance using multiple data sources is being piloted with two different health outcomes: work-related amputations and carpal tunnel syndrome. This paper describes the unique qualities of each data source, challenges faced by the utilization of multiple data sources, and preliminary findings.