Do shoulder patients insured by workersʹ compensation present with worse self-assessed function and health status?

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that patients whose shoulder problems are covered by workersʹ compensation insurance perceive worse shoulder function and health status than do comparable patients whose problem is not covered by workersʹ compensation. Each of 1063 consecutive patients presenting with shoulder problems to an individual consultant completed 2 questionnaires: the Simple Shoulder Test inventory of shoulder function and the Short Form 36 general health assessment. The patients were divided into 2 groups on the basis of whether care of the shoulder problem was covered by injured workersʹ compensation insurance. The results indicate that patients whose shoulder condition is covered by workersʹ compensation have significantly lower self-assessed shoulder function and health status than do those patients whose shoulder conditions are not related to on-the-job injuries. The differences between the workersʹ compensation and non–workersʹ compensation groups could not be attributed to differences in age, sex, or diagnosis. (J Shoulder Elbow Surg 2000;9:368-72.)