Work-related disability in Canadian nurses.
OBJECTIVE
To determine factors contributing to high registered nurse (RN) injury claim rates in Canadian hospitals.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study of secondary 1998-99 data for RNs (N = 8,044) in Ontario, Canada, linked at the hospital level (n = 127).


METHODS
Descriptive statistics, correlations, and logistic regression analyses were conducted.


RESULTS
The odds of a high RN lost-time claim rate increased by 70% for each quartile increase in the percentage of RNs reporting more than 1 hour of overtime per week. The odds of a high RN musculoskeletal lost-time claim rate decreased by 64% for every one unit increase in the hospital-level score on the nurse-physician relationship subscale.


CONCLUSIONS
To retain and optimize scarce hospital nursing resources, strategies to address overtime, sick time, and nurse-physician relationships might provide fiscal and human benefits.
O'Brien-Pallas
Linda
L
Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, 50 St. George St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada. l.obrien.pallas@utoronto.ca
Shamian
Judith
J
Thomson
Donna
D
Alksnis
Christine
C
Koehoorn
Mieke
M
Kerr
Michael
M
Bruce
Shirliana
S
D000041:Absenteeism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007344:Insurance Claim Reporting / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010563:Personnel Turnover / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration