Date of Award:

12-2011

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Psychology

Committee Chair(s)

Scott DeBerard

Committee

Scott DeBerard

Committee

Julie Gast

Committee

Scott Bates

Committee

JoAnn Tschanz

Committee

Christopher Johnson

Abstract

The rotator cuff is responsible for the lifting function of the shoulder and the circular movement of the arm. Rotator cuff injuries are the most common problem for the shoulder and account for approximately 4.1 million annual physicians visits. Approximately 20.7% of the population has at least one rotator cuff tear and more than 75,000 individuals will have rotator cuff surgery each year. Medical and compensation costs associated with a rotator cuff surgery are increasing and current estimated annual costs exceed 2 billion dollars. The increasing prevalence and cost associated with rotator cuff injuries in the United States population represents a significant economic burden for employers. Given the high prevalence of rotator cuff surgeries in the workers compensation population, and the growing costs associated with these procedures, it is important to investigate the cost associated with rotator cuff repair surgeries and the potential psychosocial factors related to these costs.

The current study examined compensation variables of Utah workers that received a rotator cuff injury on the job and underwent a rotator cuff repair surgery from 2007 to 2009. Participants were obtained by review of the Worker’s Compensation Fund of Utah computerized database and various preprocedural variables were coded for analysis. Of the total sample, 47 participants (50.5%) were contacted and completed the follow-up outcome surveys.

Study results found that approximately one third of the patients were totally disabled (29.8%), reported poor shoulder functioning (36.2%), and were dissatisfied with their current shoulder condition (31.7%). The number of Workers’ Compensation Fund claims was a strong predictor of multiple patient outcomes, while age and gender were less predictive and the presence of a prior shoulder surgery revealed no predictive power. Results are compared to existing rotator cuff repair patients’ data when available and to similar populations that have undergone other surgical procedures. Study results are discussed as well as study limitations.

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This work made publicly available electronically on November 21, 2011.

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