Software for cost-benefit analysis of LBP interventions

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In a capitalist economy, firms invest in things that are financially beneficial. This principle applies to the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The goal of this project is to develop easy-to-use software for performing economic analyses of investments in interventions to prevent low back pain (LBP). The long-term goal is to expand the scope of the software to evaluate interventions for hand/wrist, elbow, and shoulder disorders. The target market for the product is the safety, industrial hygiene, and ergonomics practitioners who have to justify investment in work place modifications. The intended use of the product is to conduct prospective economic evaluations of interventions that are specific to individual work places rather than generic classes of interventions. Phase I of this project will consist of assessing the feasibility of developing such a software tool. Phase II will be the development of the tool. Phase III will involve commercializing the tool. Phase I has two specific aims: (1) compile data required to estimate economic benefit from reductions in biomechanical risk factors for low back pain; and (2) develop stochastic model of economic benefit of investment in ergonomics. A meta-analysis of the low back pain and ergonomics literature will be conducted to identify parameters for the model, especially the exposure-response relationship between biomechanical factors and lost workdays from LBP. The second specific aim will consist of formulating a Markov chain model for estimating changes in workers' compensation costs resulting from changes in biomechanical exposure. The investment worthiness of the ergonomic intervention will be quantified using net present value, internal rate of return, and pay-back period. A stochastic representation of model parameters will be used to realistically represent the variation in LBP costs and uncertainty in the relationship between exposure and injury risk. The third specific aim will develop software architecture for the model.