Electronic Health Records for Predicting Outcomes to Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Scoping Review.
M Wassell, A Vitiello, K Butler-Henderson and 3 others
PMID 38536622WHAT IT FOUND
Very few studies use electronic health records to predict work-related musculoskeletal disorder outcomes.
Most rely on claims databases. There is no standard set of data therapists should collect, and current records often lack the psychosocial and workplace factors needed for accurate prediction.
Key findings
01Only two studies specifically used electronic health records by musculoskeletal therapists to predict outcomes for work-related musculoskeletal disorders.
02Workers' compensation claims databases are the most common data source for predicting these outcomes, rather than clinical electronic health records.
03The review found no standardised set of information that musculoskeletal practitioners should collect to predict outcomes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The search was limited to English-language publications, which may have missed relevant grey literature and government documents from other countries. The field is new, so only 38 papers were included, resulting in a small number of data points that may not represent the total body of evidence. Studies focusing on traumatic injuries were excluded, potentially missing literature on EHR use in similar musculoskeletal contexts. The review did not assess the methodological quality of the included studies, as is standard for scoping reviews, so the reliability of the individual findings varies. Data on specific outcomes was not listed in the search strategy, relying instead on broad subject headings.
Declared interests
The research was funded by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. The authors declared no other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that electronic health records are currently being used effectively to predict work outcomes. The review found that only two studies used EHRs specifically for this purpose by musculoskeletal therapists, and most research still relies on workers' compensation claims databases which lack clinical detail.