This study attempted to assess the importance of social determinants of health (SDOH) factors, but since we do not have SDOH data for individual workers, we could only rely on information on county-level SDOH factors from the public domain. This is a serious limitation to a study examining the impact of SDOH factors on workers’ compensation costs and outcomes. Because of the data limitation, we cannot provide specific research findings that are informative for policymakers and stakeholders who are interested in addressing SDOH-related issues and improving workers’ compensation health care. However, this study contributes to a better understanding of the issues related to SDOH in workers’ compensation and helps lay a foundation for policy initiatives and future research. We are, therefore, classifying this work as a new product called “WCRI Research Notes.” WCRI Research Notes feature results that are not suitable to be published as standard WCRI reports. These results could still provide valuable information on new empirical methods, data analyses, extensions or updates to previously published research, or null results.

Social Determinants of Health in Workers’ Compensation—WCRI Research Notes. Dongchun Wang, Kathryn L. Mueller, and Randall D. Lea. August 2023. RN-23-01.

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