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Difference in outcome of shoulder surgery between workers’ compensation and nonworkers’ compensation populations

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An Erratum to this article was published on 25 September 2008

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to review the association between compensation status and surgical outcome especially of the shoulder. Given the high prevalence of shoulder injuries in the workplace and the large proportion of workers compensation (WC) claims involving such injuries, it is worth examining the correlation between WC status and surgical outcome of the shoulder. All studies published in journals (MEDLINE and PubMed) from 1980 through 2007 on surgical interventions performed on the shoulder in which workers compensation status was documented and the postoperative functional outcome was compared according to that status were pooled for meta-analysis. This systematic review shows that compensation status of an individual receiving shoulder surgery is a consistent positive predictor of poor functional outcome. The majority of questions posed in the most commonly adopted shoulder-specific functional outcome measurement tools were subjective in nature and may account for part of the phenomenon.

Résumé

Analyser l’effet du statut d’accident du travail sur les résultats de la chirurgie au niveau de l’épaule. Etant donnée la fréquence élevée des traumatismes de l’épaule sur le lieu de travail et la part importante de demandes d’indemnisation chez les travailleurs avec ce type de blessures, il est intéressant d’étudier la corrélation entre le statut accident du travail et les résultats de la chirurgie de l’épaule. Toutes les études publiées dans les journaux médicaux (MEDLINE et PUBMED) de 1980 à 2007 concernant des interventions réalisées au niveau de l’épaule dans lesquelles le statut accident du travail était documenté et le résultat post opératoire étudié en fonction de ce statut ont été réunis pour une méta analyse. Cette revue systématique montre que le statut accident du travail d’un individu opéré de l’épaule est un facteur prédictif d’un mauvais résultat. La majorité des questions posées dans les tests spécifiques de l’épaule les plus couramment utilisés sont de nature subjective et cela pourrait expliquer en partie ce phénomène.

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  1. E7 Manhattan Court, 1 Alnwick Road, KLN, Hong Kong, China

    Paul Koljonen, Calvin Chong & Daniel Yip

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  1. Paul Koljonen
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Correspondence to Paul Koljonen.

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An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00264-008-0652-6

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Koljonen, P., Chong, C. & Yip, D. Difference in outcome of shoulder surgery between workers’ compensation and nonworkers’ compensation populations. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 33, 315–320 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-007-0493-8

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