Table 4.
Key information regarding the design, aims, data sources, critical appraisal score and levels of evidence of each included study.
| Authors (Year) and [Reference] | Title | Aim/Objective/Hypothesis | Study Design | Data Collection Method | Downs and Black Score | Level of Evidence * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Britton et al. (2013) [28] | Epidemiology of injuries to wildland firefighters | Examine nonfatal wildland firefighter injuries reported to the US Department of Interior (DOI) from 2003 to 2007. | Retrospective Cohort | Database | 70% | III-2 |
| Campbell (2018) [35] | US Firefighter Injuries on the Fireground, 2010–2014 | Profile US firefighter injuries occurring on the fireground from 2010 to 2014. | Retrospective Cohort | Database | 45% | III-2 |
| Frost et al. (2015) [16] | Firefighter injuries are not just a fireground problem | Characterise the injuries sustained by members of a large Canadian metropolitan fire department over a 5-year span (2007–2011) | Retrospective Cohort | Database | 50% | III-2 |
| Frost et al. (2016) [5] | The cost and distribution on firefighter injuries in a large Canadian Fire Department | Categorise the cost of injuries filed in 2012 by firefighters from a large department by job duty, injury type, body part affected, and the general motion pattern employed at the time of injury. | Retrospective Cohort | Database | 60% | III-2 |
| Glazner (1996) [29] | Factors related to injury of shiftwork fire fighters in the Northeastern United States | Identify factors involved in injuries sustained by fire fighters in three different municipal fire departments. | Retrospective Cohort | Database | 60% | III-2 |
| Hong et al. (2012) [30] | Occupational Injuries, Duty Status, and Factors Associated With Injuries Among Firefighters | Assess the type of occupational injuries, duty status, and factors associated with injuries among firefighters. | Cross-sectional | Self-report/Internet-based survey | 60% | IV |
| Katsavouni et al. (2014) [31] | The type and causes of injuries in firefighters | Investigate the nature and causes of occupational injuries in firefighters. | Cross-sectional | Self-report | 55% | IV |
| Magnetti et al. (1999) [34] | Injuries to Volunteer Fire Fighters in West Virginia | Describe the distribution of occupational injuries to volunteer fire fighters (VFFs) by demographic characteristics, presenting history, time, and geographic location, using the West Virginia State Worker’s Compensation database. | Retrospective Cohort | Database | 50% | III-2 |
| Marsh et al. (2018) [17] | Nonfatal Injuries to Firefighters Treated in U.S. Emergency Departments, 2003–2014 | Enhance current knowledge by providing national estimates of nonfatal injuries to firefighters treated in US emergency departments | Retrospective Cohort | Database | 55% | III-2 |
| Moody et al. (2019) [27] | Descriptive analysis of injuries and illnesses self-reported by wildland firefighters | Understand types of injuries and illnesses wildland firefighters (WLFFs) sustain during the fire season. | Cross-sectional | Web-based self-reported questionnaire | 75% | IV |
| Poplin et al. (2012) [18] | Beyond the fireground: injuries in the fire service | Explore injuries not only on the fireground but also during other fire service activities. | Retrospective Cohort | Database | 55% | III-2 |
| Seabury and McLaren (2012) [1] | The Frequency, Severity, and Economic Consequences of Musculoskeletal Injuries to Firefighters in California | # Describe the average frequency and severity of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) experienced by firefighters in California. # Study the impact of work-related MSDs on the earnings and employment of firefighters several years after injury. # Evaluate the impact of reforms to the disability rating system on the ratings of firefighters with permanently disabling MSDs. # Assess whether reforms to the medical delivery system affected the employment outcomes of firefighters with MSDs. |
Retrospective Cohort | Database | 20% | III-2 |
| Szubert and Sobala (2002) [32] | Work-related injuries among firefighters: sites and circumstances | Determine the injury ratio, causes and duration of temporal work disability from on-duty injuries among firefighters, taking into account the site and circumstances of their occurrence. | Retrospective Cohort | Database | 55% | III-2 |
| Taylor et al. (2015) [20] | A Retrospective Evaluation of Injuries to Australian Urban Firefighters (2003 to 2012): Injury Types, Locations, and Causal Mechanisms | Evaluate injury trends within Australian firefighters. | Retrospective Cohort | Database | 50% | III-2 |
| Walton et al. (2003) [14] | Cause, Type, and Workers’ Compensation Costs of Injury to Fire Fighters | A better understanding of the costs of injury to firefighters, and how those costs relate to the cause and the nature of those injuries can help inform policy decisions regarding the occupational health of firefighters (Musich et.al., 2001). Such information can serve to document financial incentives to infuse dollars into firefighter injury prevention and suggest priority areas for further study. | Retrospective Cohort | Database | 55% | III-2 |
| Watkins et al. (2019) [33] | Women Firefighters’ Health and Well-Being: An International Survey | Identify specific health and well-being issues that women firefighters may experience as part of their daily working practices. Issues identified from this under-represented population can drive future research, education, and strategy to guide safety and health practices. | Cross-sectiona | Self-report | 60% | IV |
| Yoon et al. (2016) [19] | Characteristics of Workplace Injuries among Nineteen Thousand Korean Firefighters | Provide as comprehensive an evaluation as possible to aid in improving safety strategies for firefighters, as well as to improve their health and well-being. | Cross-sectional | Self-report | 85% | IV |
* National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines used to determine the level of evidence [26].