A Comprehensive Review of Injury Causation Analysis Methodology for the Assessment of Workers' Compensation and Motor Vehicle Collision Injuries.

Abstract

Orthopaedic surgeons are frequently involved in treating patients with conditions resulting from occupational injuries or trauma from motor vehicle collisions. These circumstances may lead to disputes that are subject to litigation or medicolegal determinations by state agencies. As musculoskeletal experts, orthopaedic surgeons are frequently asked to opine on the causation and extent of injury in these patients. This comprehensive review details the methodology for injury causation analysis, which has been developed and validated in the peer-reviewed literature. These approaches evolved from the Hill criteria to encompass protocols used by the American Medical Association and taught at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons instructional courses. The various methodologies are defined in the context of their use for workers' compensation cases and motor vehicle collisions with the assistance of an illustrative case.