Quantifying value loss due to presenteeism and absenteeism in workers' compensation spinal patients

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics and Spine Surgery
• Occupational Health
• Health Economics

Background:

• Spine surgery outcomes may offset higher treatment costs through improved work productivity.
• Previous studies often excluded workers' compensation patients from cost-effectiveness analyses.
• Understanding work productivity changes is crucial for assessing surgery cost-effectiveness and patient information.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze preoperative and postoperative work productivity changes in spine surgery patients.
• To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of spine surgery, particularly for workers' compensation cases.
• To provide patients with valuable information regarding treatment outcomes and return-to-work timelines.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 92 eligible spine surgery patients.
• Evaluation of electronic health records for presenteeism and absenteeism.
• Statistical analysis using JMP Pro 17.

Main Results:

• 83% of patients returned to work, with 59% returning without restrictions.
• 85% experienced presenteeism and 98% experienced absenteeism post-surgery.
• Average return-to-work was 232.5 days (median 142 days); presenteeism (287.4 days) impacted productivity more than absenteeism (232.5 days).

Conclusions:

• Workers' compensation patients in this study had longer return-to-work periods compared to previous studies excluding this group.
• Presenteeism was a greater contributor to postoperative decreased work productivity than absenteeism.
• No significant difference in return-to-work duration was found between sedentary and nonsedentary employment types.