Health Related Quality of Life Among Herniation of Nucleus Pulposus Patients Caused by Occupational Accidents

산업재해 추간판탈출증 환자의 삶의 질에 관한 연구

Purpose: This study was to investigate the factors influencing on the quality of life (QOL) among herniation of nucleus pulposus (HNP) patients caused by occupational accidents. Method: 203 patients of HNP were recruited. 106 patients were occupationally injured workers who benefited from workmen's compensation scheme (PWCS group), and 43 patients were non-occupationally injured workers benefiting from national health insurance (PNHI group). Questions of QOL items were used by Korean version of SBQOL (SmithKlein Beecham's Qality of Life). Result: The quality of life of PWCS group measured by SBQOL was significantly lower than that of PNHI group. In PWCS group, SBQOL was significantly lower in patients with 40s of their age, 5 years or longer of treatment duration, no expectation of return to work, no expectation of recovering subject's health, and with loss of employment than rest of the patients in each category. Expectations of recovering subject's health showed to be affect factors on QOL both the PWCS and PNHI groups. Conclusion: It suggested that betterment of expectation of recovering patient's health and an administrative system for returning to work of the occupationally injured HNP patients during treatment be necessary for improvement of their quality of life.