title: Impact of differential injury reporting on the estimation of the total number of work-related amputations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A capture-recapture analysis was performed to estimate the total number of work-related amputations. We examined the impact of misclassification due to differential injury reporting on the estimate of total number of work-related amputations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bureau of Labor Statistics' Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) samples and workers' compensation records (WC) were used to estimate the total number of work-related amputations. Some of the amputation cases in one data source matched with injuries other than amputations in the other data source. We performed sensitivity analyses reassigning such cases as matched amputations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Depending on how we treated the cases matched with other injuries, the total number of work-related amputations ranged from 276 to 442 cases, yielding dramatically different capture rates (35-87%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to differential classification, estimates of work-related amputations would be biased. Our findings highlight the importance of accurately reporting and classifying work-related injuries and illnesses.
authors.affiliation: Occupational Health Surveillance Program (OHSP), Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Sangwoo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tak
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grattan
authors.forename: Les
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boden
authors.forename: Al
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozonoff
authors.forename: Letitia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000673:Amputation, Traumatic / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D008499:Medical Records; D015233:Models, Statistical; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D062486:Public Health Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: capture-recapture analysis; injury reporting; misclassification; surveillance; workers compensation