Cost of temporary work disability due to musculoskeletal diseases in Spain.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the annual cost of temporary work disability (TWD) caused by musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) in Spain and its variations between regions (autonomous communities: ACs) and paying institutions.


METHODS
Descriptive study of the costs of MSD-related TWD in ACs in 2007. The Spanish National Institute of Social Security (NISS) provided aggregate data. Extrapolations to the rest of the TWD payers (mutual societies and employers) were used.


RESULTS
MSDs were the leading cause of TWD in Spain in 2007, causing 908,781 episodes of TWD (18% of the total), 39,342,857 lost working days (23%), and a cost of 1,702 million euros (23%). The annual incidence of TWD episodes per 1,000 employed was 45. The cost per TWD process was 1,873 €, ranging from 1,391 € (La Rioja) to 2,429 € (Basque Country).


CONCLUSIONS
MSDs produce annually in Spain over 39 million days lost by TWD with a cost of over 1,700 million euros. Regions observed wide variations of the TWD cost.
Técnicas Avanzadas de Investigación en Servicios de Salud, Madrid, España. Electronic address: plazaro@taiss.com.
Pablo
P
Lázaro
Técnicas Avanzadas de Investigación en Servicios de Salud, Madrid, España.
Elizabeth
E
Parody
Servicio de Reumatología, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Princesa, Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Madrid, España.
Rosario
R
García-Vicuña
Fundación Josep Laporte, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, España.
Giovanna
G
Gabriele
Servicio de Reumatología, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, España.
Juan Ángel
JÁ
Jover
PricewaterhouseCoopers, Madrid, España.
Jordi
J
Sevilla
D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
Bajas laborales; Costes indirectos; Enfermedades musculoesqueléticas; Indirect costs; Musculoskeletal diseases; Variabilidad; Variability; Work leaves