title: Work status after workers' compensation claims for upper limb musculoskeletal disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide information on employment status after workers' compensation (WC) claims for musculoskeletal disorders of the limbs (MSDs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Two-year follow up of the workers who filed a WC claim for MSDs in 1996 in the Pays de la Loire region. Of the 701 eligible workers, 514 workers (70%) participated. Information was requested by means of a mailed questionnaire about the characteristics of the MSDs and job status at the time of the WC claim and two years later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two years after the WC claim, 65% of the claimants had returned to work in the same company, often without any ergonomic improvement, 12% had retired or had left employment voluntarily, and 18% had been dismissed. The risk of dismissal was associated with three factors: being older than 45 years, having two or more MSDs at claim, and working in the cleaning services sector.
authors.affiliation: Consultation de Pathologie Professionnelle, CHU, F-49033 Angers, France. Yvroquelaure@chu-angers.fr
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Roquelaure
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cren
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rousseau
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Touranchet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dano
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fanello
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Penneau-Fontbonne
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001132:Arm; D004651:Employment; D006804:Ergonomics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010563:Personnel Turnover / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D014942:Workers' Compensation