Citation

Hou WH, Liang HW, Sheu CF, Hsieh CL, Chuang HY. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2013; 94(4): 703-710.

Affiliation

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Gerontology Healthcare Management, College of Nursing,Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.apmr.2012.10.033

PMID

23206657

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: s: To assess the impact of return-to-work (RTW) status on health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) over a 2-year period in workers with traumatic limb injuries, and to elucidate factors that may contribute to the association of RTW with HRQoL. DESIGN: A 2-year repeated measurementsfollow-up study using the generalized estimating equations (GEE) approach for model fitting to account for within-subject correlations of HRQoL. SETTING: One teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: 966injured patients (61% male)with mean aged 44.7 y/o Interventions:Not appreciable Main Outcome Measures: The RTW status, HRQoL (assessed by the 5-item EuroQol instrument), and activity/participationwere repeatedly surveyed during 2weeks, 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after injury. A series of regression models were used to examine the associations between HRQoL and RTW with sequential adjustment for explanatory variables such as personal, environmental factors, body structure and function, activity/participation, and post-injury period. RESULTS: Over a 2-year study period, 81.2% of the study participants had one or more RTW episodes; 38.2% of them successfully maintained their RTW status till the end. A significant positive association was found between RTW status and HRQoL. The association could largely be explained by the domains of activity/participation. A higher HRQoL was associated with a shorter length of hospital stay,better stress coping, frequent conduct of instrumental activities of daily living, and a longer post-injury p eriod. A reduced HRQoL, on the other hand, was observed for participants with more depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: RTW showed a positive and independent influence on HRQoL in workers with limb injury. Additionally, the activity/participation domains and the elapsed time since injury largely explained the association between RTW and HRQoL.

Language: en