LAUSR

The most vulnerable sectors in terms of occupational injuries in southern Israel are the Bedouin Arab minority and foreign workers. Medical teams should invest greater efforts to explain the broad spectrum of available diagnostic and therapeutic options for these sectors. Objective To characterize and compare occupational injuries among population sectors in southern Israel and to evaluate their use of healthcare services and analgesic drugs. Methods Retrospective cross-sectional study. Results There were 100,000 occupational injuries among 70,037 insured individuals over the study period from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2016. There was a large increase in occupational traffic injuries over this period. Compared to the veteran Jewish population, Bedouin Arabs, new immigrants and foreign workers had significantly lower rates of use of ambulatory services and imaging tests (P < 0.001). Arabs had significantly higher odds for recurrent occupational injuries (OR = 1.29, P < 0.001), and being a new immigrant protected against recurrent injuries (OR = 0.70, P < 0.001). Conclusions Medical staffs should invest greater effort into explaining the spectrum of diagnostic and treatment options for vulnerable groups as well as workers’ rights.