Objectives The Prospective Outcomes of Injury Study (POIS) is a prospective cohort study that has followed 2856 injured New Zealanders for 2 years. The study examines the influence of injury, rehabilitation, social, work and economic factors on vocational, functional and disability outcomes following acute injury in New Zealanders.

Methods POIS has collected data using personal interviews at 3, 5, 12 and 24 month post-injury intervals on over 600 potential explanatory variables and three main outcomes. The cohort was recruited from the entitlement claimants register of New Zealand’s monopoly universal accident compensation and rehabilitation provider: the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). Alongside primary self-reported data, electronic hospital discharge data and ACC’s compensation and rehabilitation data has been collected.

Results Interviews were completed by 81% and 79% of the cohort at the 12 and 24 month time points respectively. Compensation and rehabilitation data has been used to: 1) obtain data for intervening time periods between participant interviews to examine re-injury; 2) provide additional data on compensation exposures, outcomes and costs; 3) validate self-reported work-related cause of injury; and 4) to classify injury on the basis of multiple injury diagnoses. Examples of each use will be provided.

Conclusions Linking compensation and rehabilitation data with self-reported survey data has proven valuable by allowing researchers further insight into injury, compensation and rehabilitation factors associated with vocational, functional, and disability outcomes.