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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Prevention pathways: application of the critical path methodology in occupational health services.

Occupational health services face important changes as a result of changes in work environment, changing health and safety concepts, and legislation. To ensure good quality at a good price, it is important to control the processes in occupational health services. The concept of "prevention pathways" is presented for the management of occupational health services. The model is based on the critical pathway concept. The approach is illustrated by means of a case study performed in a Belgian occupational health service. A prevention pathway for the evaluation of chemical risks at the workplace was constructed. The prevention pathway methodology revealed inefficiencies and quality problems in the current practice of chemical risk assessment and biomonitoring. The case shows how prevention pathways can be used to pilot the members of a multidisciplinary team by focusing on a specific occupational risk.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1989

AIDS/HIV infection and employment: the role of occupational health services.

Occupational health services need to be active in the development of local policies about AIDS/HIV and employment. Employment issues include the possible hazards from HIV infected employees, which are more fears than real risks, and the problems faced by HIV infected employees. Pre-employment HIV screening does not eliminate HIV from the workforce and involves much extra work. The occupational health service can be a source of confidential counselling for HIV infected individuals and will need to advise on work fitness. HIV as a bar to certain jobs is difficult to justify. The problems relating to HIV infection at work are best dealt with by education of staff at all levels.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2001

Integrating occupational health services and occupational prevention services.

BACKGROUND: Despite the human and monetary costs of occupational injury and illness, occupational health care has focused more on treatment than prevention, and prevention is not part of many clinical occupational health practices. This represents a failure of occupational health care to meet the health care needs of the working patients. METHODS: MEDLINE searches were conducted for literature on occupational medical treatment and the prevention of occupational injury and illness were reviewed to for linkages between prevention and treatment. Policy discussions which identify examples of programs that integrated prevention and treatment were included. RESULTS: Although examples of the integration of clinical and preventive occupational health services exist, there are challenges and barriers to such integration. These include inaction by clinicians who do not recognize their potential role in prevention; the absence of a relationship between the clinician and an employer willing to participate in prevention; economic disincentives against prevention; and the absence of tools that evaluate clinicians on their performance in prevention. CONCLUSIONS: Research is needed to improve and promote clinical occupational health preventive services.

Continuity of Patient Care↗
PubMed1999

[The labor potential in occupational health services at the provincial level before the occupational health services act came into effect].

The author evaluates how far the personnel of occupational health services (OHS) at the provincial level is ready to undertake and implement the tasks provided by the Occupational Health Services Act at the eve of its coming into force. Personnel resources of OHS differ depending on the region. This applies to all groups of workers and is generally related to the provincial regulations and employment policy. Specialists-consultants constituted 12% of provincial OHS workers and the majority of them (60%) were employed on a full-time basis. Specialists in laryngology, ophthalmology and neurology were employed most frequently. Physicians with additional qualifications necessary for performing preventive examinations accounted for 16% of the total number of OHS workers; and those with acknowledged competence due to long experience--40%. Thus, 60% (400) of physicians should be trained in research institutions. As to qualifications of nurses, the situation is even worse. Only 6% of nurses were specialised in occupational health, and 35% of nurses employed at the provincial level completed relevant qualification courses. The qualifications of over 60% of nurses are insufficient for implementing tasks provided by the new OHS Act.

Health Personnel↗
PubMed1994

Hospital based occupational health services: meeting community needs.

1. Community health plans must include comprehensive approaches to meeting employment related health care needs. 2. To be effective, occupational health services should be based on a complete assessment of the needs of employers in the community. 3. Integration of community health care resources requires strong communication links, cooperation, and collaboration among providers.

Continuity of Patient Care↗
PubMed1989

[Risk score for coronary disease. A pedagogic model used in the occupational health services].

In our occupational health service, we have worked out a fairly simple model for risk score for coronary heart disease. The occupational nurses give each employee a risk score after health examination and use this figure as a convincing pedagogic tool in preventive health education. The nurses find a measureable scale extremely useful in the follow-up of groups and individuals. The system is also used to measure the difference in coronary disease risk between different occupations and occupational subgroups. After introduction of this risk score system, both employer and employees seem to be more conscious of health hazards, both in the work environment and due to personal lifestyle.

Coronary Disease↗
PubMed2000

Overall view of occupational health services in Korea.

Occupational health services in Korea can be largely divided into periodic health examination for workers, group health care system for workers in small and medium size industries, and workplace environment measurement. Periodic health examination is composed of general and special health examination. General health examination is performed once every two years for office workers and once every year for production workers. The expenses of medical examination are covered by public medical insurance program. Special health examination is performed on workers who dealt with hazardous agents with variable durations. The employer pays the expense of special health examination. Group health care system has been established for small and medium sized industries exempt for assignment of full-time health managers (physician, nurse, hygienist). It entrusts the role of health managers to occupational health organization or clinic. Especially, entrust fee of small sized industries are paid by government. The levels of hazardous agents are measured in all workplace environment. If the measured level exceeds the permissible exposure level, the employer is enforced to improve the workplace environment with their own expense. In 1997, 684,000 workers received periodic health examination and 2,400 workers were found with occupational diseases.

Environmental Monitoring↗
PubMed2002

Trends and development of occupational health services in Norway.

Occupational Health Services (OHS) in Norway cover approximately 1.2 million employees, equivalent to 60% of the total work force. They employ nurses (800), physicians (500), physiotherapists (360), safety engineers (400), psychologists (30) and others (400), a total of 2500 full time employmancy. The average cost of the OHS amounts to 150 euros per employee, a total cost of 180 million euros per year. In 1998, the OHS in Norway were evaluated. The evaluation, initiated by the Ministry, revealed that although 80% of the enterprises are fairly satisfied with their OHS, there is still much to be improved, in particular quality development and customer focus. By 2000 the National Practice Guidelines. ("Good OHS") were developed as a joint effort of the professional OHS associations, representatives from the social partners and the NIOH. These guidelines have been evaluated and well accepted by the OHS. Last year the Ministry of Labour appointed an advisory group of experts on OHS. The group was asked to examine: the "branch provision" on obligatory OHS and the availability of health resources; the legislation on OHS tasks; the quality improvement of OHS; and the OHS in small enterprises The report was ready in May 2001 stating that the OHS may be a useful contributor to the improvement of the health, environment and safety in enterprises and included the following recommendations: to establish the OHS for all within 10 years and to ratify relevant ILO convention; to develop a certification system for the OHS; to ensure financial public support of the OHS for the small enterprises; and to expand the OH hospital departments as important supportive agents for the OHS. The report will be a background document for the revision process of the Work Environment Act to be soon put into force.

Humans↗
PubMed1995

[Occupational health services in Sweden--Occupational safety and hygiene and control of the working environment].

The authors presented a general characteristics of Occupational Health Services in Sweden, their legislation, functioning, financing and objectives, with special reference to occupational safety and hygiene, and the working environment control. They discussed how the work environment is monitored by the external control bodies (Labour Inspectorate, National Board of Occupational Safety and Hygiene, and Workers' Health) and by employers in individual establishments (internal control). Major factors which have contributed to the success of the Swedish work environment policy were also highlighted.

Employment↗
PubMed1996

General practitioners and occupational health services.

BACKGROUND: Occupational physicians and general practitioners often appear to differ in their attitudes to the provision of health screening, health promotion and vaccination in the workplace. AIM: This study aimed to explore the attitudes of occupational physicians and general practitioners to particular aspects of workplace health services. METHOD: Anonymous piloted postal questionnaires were sent to 400 UK general practitioners and 300 occupational physicians. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned by 260 general practitioners (65%) and 223 occupational physicians (74%). There are differences between the specialties in attitude to specific health screening and vaccination at work, and to the role of occupational health services in helping the disabled, but greater agreement on the usefulness of workplace health promotion. CONCLUSION: General practitioners may misunderstand the role, responsibilities and priorities of occupational health services. Further educational work needs to be done to overcome communication difficulties between the specialties.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1999

[Occupational hazards in the Moroccan craft sector and proposal for occupational health services].

The absence of occupational health services, the numerous occupational hazards and the high number of people working in the handicraft sector have sparked this study. Descriptive, cross-sectional epidemiological studies were carried out throughout 1996 for different artisan activities: iron-work, jewellery making, rug making, tannery, "zellige", pottery, and woodworking. The study included 449 artisans and consisted of an analysis of work conditions, a medico-social questionnaire, a clinical examination and among certain artisans, a biological check-up, a respiratory check-up (thoracic x-ray and lung function testing), and a toxicological check-up. Poor work conditions and the absence of any technical protection (collective or individual) are common to all the workshops visited. Multiple risks as well as various and frequent pathologies were observed for all the artisan activities. The most common ailments are those linked to posture and musculo-skeletal problems (67.6%), oral (58.2%), ocular (46.9%), dermatological (35.7%), ear/nose/throat (35.3%), respiratory (31.1%), digestive (21.1%) and neurological (20.7%). Often the same artisan showed several simultaneous conditions linked to work. The legislative texts related to occupational health and safety are many and dispersed, and would profit by being updated and regrouped within a work code which would make them easier to consult and would allow all partners in the social sector to get to know them. In addition, this legislation which has been strengthened, is unfortunately not enforced. We should support every initiative focused on developing the prevention of occupational hazards and the spirit of safety within artisan workshops. The concern for occupational risks within the artisan milieu owes its importance to their abundance, the diversity of the professions involved, and the number of different risks to which artisans are exposed. The role of a worksite doctor is therefore considerable, and his field of intervention in this milieu is vast. The broader goal of occupational health services is to protect and improve the physical, mental, and social well-being of its workers; it is natural that these services should give more attention to general health promotion (vaccinations, health education...). Given that the artisan sector is organised around its structures of production, it seems urgent to introduce medical coverage and to improve health and safety conditions within the sector.

Humans↗