Table 2.
Health, function, impairment, and pain, as reported by Washington State workers surveyed about a year after workers’ compensation claim closure with a permanent partial disability (PPD) award; crude odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) comparing response patterns for workers with a higher degree of whole body impairment (≥10% WBI) to those with a lower degree of impairment (WBI <10%)
| Survey question | N | Overall (N=598) | WBI <10% (N=464) | WBI ≥10% (N=134) | Crude OR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | |||
| Health status at claim closure | 595 | ||||
| Fair/poor | 166 (27.9) | 119 (25.8) | 47 (35.1) | 1.55 | |
| Good/very good/excellent | 429 (72.1) | 342 (74.2) | 87 (64.9) | (1.03, 2.34) | |
| Current health status | 594 | ||||
| Fair/poor | 165 (27.8) | 117 (25.4) | 48 (36.1) | 1.66 | |
| Good/very good/excellent | 429 (72.2) | 344 (74.6) | 85 (63.9) | (1.10, 2.51) | |
| Work function ability at claim closure | 592 | ||||
| Fair/poor | 215 (36.3) | 153 (33.3) | 62 (46.6) | 1.75 | |
| Good/very good/excellent | 377 (63.7) | 306 (66.7) | 71 (53.4) | (1.18, 2.59) | |
| Current work function ability | 590 | ||||
| Fair/poor | 186 (31.5) | 131 (28.6) | 55 (41.7) | 1.78 | |
| Good/very good/excellent | 404 (68.5) | 327 (71.4) | 77 (58.3) | (1.19, 2.66) | |
| Still have disability/pain/limitation due to work injury | 597 | ||||
| Yes | 553 (92.6) | 426 (92.0) | 127 (94.8) | 1.58 | |
| No | 44 (7.4) | 37 (8.0) | 7 (5.2) | (0.69, 3.62) | |
| Impairment/disability/pain | 550a | ||||
| Made it difficult to get a job | 261 (47.5) | 190 (44.2) | 71 (59.2) | 1.83 | |
| Did not make it difficult to get a job | 289 (52.6) | 240 (55.8) | 49 (40.8) | (1.21, 2.76) | |
| Impairment/disability/pain | 590 | ||||
| Made it difficult to stay at work or keep a job | 342 (58.0) | 248 (54.0) | 94 (71.8) | 2.16 | |
| Did not make it difficult to stay at work or keep a job | 248 (42.0) | 211 (46.0) | 37 (28.2) | (1.42, 3.30) | |
| Bodily pain in past 4 weeks | 594 | ||||
| Moderate/severe/very severe | 389 (65.5) | 293 (63.6) | 96 (72.2) | 1.49 | |
| Very mild or no pain | 205 (34.5) | 168 (36.4) | 37 (27.8) | (0.97, 2.27) | |
| Pain interfered with work in past 4 weeks | 592 | ||||
| Some what/quite a bit/very much | 236 (39.9) | 181 (39.3) | 55 (42.0) | 1.12 | |
| Not at all/a little bit | 356 (60.1) | 280 (60.7) | 76 (58.0) | (0.75, 1.66) | |
| Pain in past 4 weeks was impairment-related | 536b | ||||
| Sometimes/always | 453 (84.5) | 337 (81.6) | 116 (94.3) | 3.74 | |
| Never/almost never | 83 (15.5) | 76 (18.4) | 7 (5.7) | (1.67, 8.34) | |
| Took opioids for pain 60+ days in a row in past year | 593 | ||||
| Yes | 63 (10.6) | 44 (9.6) | 19 (14.3) | 1.58 | |
| No | 530 (89.4) | 416 (90.4) | 114 (85.7) | (0.88, 2.81) | |
| Opioid medication taken for pain | 61c | ||||
| Helped me work/function at my best | 22 (36.1) | 14 (32.6) | 8 (44.4) | 1.66 | |
| Had no effect or made work/function more difficult | 39 (63.9) | 29 (67.4) | 10 (55.6) | (0.53, 5.17) | |
CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; PPD, permanent partial disability; WBI, whole body impairment.
Many workers still working for their pre-injury employer answered this question “Don’t Know.”
Queried only if reported any pain.
Queried only if reported taking opioids for 60+ days in a row.
Note: In each unadjusted logistic regression model, the independent variable was WBI percentage, comparing responses for workers with higher WBI to those with lower WBI (the reference category). ORs are shown on the row containing the response that was coded as 1; CIs are shown on the row containing the response that was coded as 0. Column percentages do not always sum to exactly 100% due to rounding.