[Time series of permanent disability in Spain (1992-2010)]

Permanent disability (PD) is an occupational health problem that involves occupational, healthcare and legal factors that have changed in Spain over recent years. The aim of this study was to describe the trend of the incidence of PD in Spain.

Based on Social Security System data on enrolment and PD in Spain, we graphically described the time trend of the annual incidence of PD in the period between 1992 and 2010. In order to assess the trends, the Annual Percent Change (APC) and its confidence interval (CI 95%) was estimated through a binomial negative regression model.

The incidence trend of PD was divided into three periods. The initial period (1992 to 1997) showed a constant incidence of approximately 75 cases per 10,000 workers (ACP= -0.1; IC 95%:-1.6, 1.4). This period was followed by a 3 year period reaching approximately 50 new cases per 10,000 workers in the year 2000 (ACP:-12.1%; CI 95%:-13.9; -10.4). Lastly, there was a 10 year period until the year 2010 in which the incidence was stable (ACP= 0.4; IC 95%:-0.2; 1.0).

Despite the increase in social security affiliates in the studied period, the incidence of PD was fairly stable during this period, with a decline between 1997 and 2000, which could be attributed to measures of evaluation and monitoring of IP adopted in 1995.