Health Outcomes | Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) Evaluation Measures

Health outcomes measures for WMSD prevention^1-3

The effectiveness of WMSD prevention programs often depends on the intensity of program effort and the use of multiple interventions. For most health conditions, a rule of thumb is that the more programs implemented together as a package or campaign, the more successful the interventions will be.

Baseline

• Determine levels of employee-reported WMSDs from employee health survey, health risk appraisal, or injury reports. Examples include:
  • Gather data to identify jobs or work conditions that are most problematic, using sources such as injury and illness logs, medical records, and job analyses
  • Determine the baseline percentage of employees with work exposures that increase the risk of WMSDs (e.g., repetitive motions, awkward postures)
  • Look for signs of a potential WMSD in the workplace, such as frequent worker reports of aches and pains or tasks requiring repetitive forceful exertions
  • Assess reports of decreasing focus on work assignments during late shifts or overtime
  • Note: For estimating the population prevalence of arthritis, the CDC Arthritis Program recommends using self-reported data as the data source and using doctor-diagnosed arthritis as the case definition. Survey questions related to arthritis in state and national self-reported surveys can be found on the CDC Arthritis Program website
• Determine levels of diagnostic and treatment procedures related to WMSDs from health care and pharmaceutical claims data
• Determine employee knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about WMSDs◦Measure employees’ knowledge of workplace ergonomics
  • Assess employee awareness of existing workplace ergonomic and WMSD programs, policies and benefits
  • Assess management attitudes regarding the importance of early detection and treatment of WMSDs for preventing impairment and disability

Process

• Periodic repeats of baseline measures
• Analyze data on potential WMSDs risk environments and implement worksite risk reduction programs (see organizational change)

Outcome

• Assess changes in percentage of employees reporting WMSDs◦Assess changes in percentage of employees with work exposures that increase the risk of WMSDs (e.g., repetitive motions, awkward postures)
  • Assess reductions in WMSD reports after reducing environment risks and compare with baseline
• Determine changes in levels of diagnostic and treatment procedures related to WMSD from health care and pharmaceutical claims data 
  • Note that these data can be dramatically skewed by a few costly cases (e.g., newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis is generally far more costly to treat than many cases of osteoarthritis or gout)
• Assess changes in employee knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about WMSDs
  • Measure changes in employees’ knowledge of workplace ergonomics
  • Assess changes in employee awareness of existing workplace ergonomic and WMSD programs, policies and benefits
  • Assess changes in management attitudes regarding the importance of early detection and treatment of WMSDs for preventing impairment and disability