An occupational injury describes any type of injury or illness that occurs to a patient-related to his or her specific occupational demands or requirements. Occupational injuries or illnesses represent a substantial percentage of emergency department visits and primary care and subspecialty clinical practices. The most common organs involved are the hands, eyes, spine, head, lungs, skeleton, and skin.
Occupational injuries result from physical, biological, chemical, or psychosocial hazards such as noise, temperature, insect or animal bites, aerosols, blood-borne pathogens, hazardous chemicals, radiation, and occupational burnout. While prevention methods are available, many injuries still occur due to poor ergonomics, manual handling of heavy loads, misuse of equipment, general hazards, and inadequate safety training.
Healthcare providers should strive to maintain awareness regarding the overall financial burden of the direct and indirect costs attributed to the long-term and permanent disability, as well as the pertinent role of the workers' compensation system to facilitate the flow and efficiency of healthcare provided to these workers to mitigate associated negative downstream effects.
Copyright © 2024, StatPearls Publishing LLC.