Assessment of the factors affecting the loss of workforce in patients with traumatic hand injury

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the factors affecting the loss of workforce, including the time to return to work and workrelated situations in patients with traumatic hand injury who were taken to a hand rehabilitation program. Materials and Methods: The patients aged between 18-65 years with a history of traumatic hand injury in the last five years were analyzed retrospectively. Demographic and clinic data were taken from the medical records, and work-related problems were obtained by telephone calls. The severity of hand injury was assessed with Modified Hand Injury Severity Score (MHISS). Results: A total of 147 patients (129 males, 18 females; mean age 39.83±10.4 years) were included. The duration of return to work was correlated with total MHISS (rho=0.262 p=0.003) while not related to age, education level, gender, or injured hand’s dominance (p>0.05). Duration of return to work after hand injury and total MHISS were lower in the patients who had job modifications (p<0.001, p=0.002). Job modification rate, salary reduction, and patient-reported hand dexterity loss were higher in patients with work-related injuries (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study highlighted that the increasing severity of hand injury caused a prolonged time to return to work, or job scope changes.

Keywords

• Hand injury
• Modified Hand Injury Severity Score
• Return to work
• workplace engagement

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