The role of the clinical laboratory in occupational medicine

The pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytic stages of laboratory testing present challenges to the attainment of accurate and timely information. These include sampling errors, quality control, and interpretation of results. Learning about the benefits and limitations of specific tests allows the physician to use the laboratory more productively and cost-effectively.     

The market for occupational medicine managed care

The metamorphosis of the health care market has opened a window of opportunity for occupational medicine programs and practices to assume a critical role in the delivery of managed occupational and personal health care services. This chapter offers practical suggestions and tips.     

Data management in occupational medicine

The information system is a critical component of the evolving managed care marketplace. The authors discuss how integration and application of an optimal system can help to achieve the goals of an occupational medicine practice.     

The factors of individual sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation

Correlations between effective UVR doses for induction of skin erythema, premature aging and cancer, immunosuppression, vitamin D photobiosynthesis and cataract on the one hand and various ethnic signs, sex, age and metabolic states of organism on the other were considered. Individual UV sensitivity by all criteria mentioned with the exception of immunosuppression and cataract is conditioned by specificity of melanin and DNA metabolism, and risk of skin cancer incidence besides that depends of immune system state. Values of risk factors for UVR effects mentioned incidence in individuals of different sex and age with various ethnic and metabolic conditions are presented.     

Challenges and opportunities in occupational medicine

Recent position papers of the American College of Physicians and the Institute of Medicine have emphasized the role of primary care physicians in occupational medicine. Although opportunities for physicians to become certified in occupational medicine have expanded, shortages in the specialty are likely to persist throughout the 1990s. To help acquaint osteopathic physicians with some of the challenges facing the specialty of occupational medicine, this article addresses the extent of occupational illnesses, health-related policies in the workplace, the delivery of occupational medical services, and graduate medical education.     

Role of neurologic sciences in occupational medicine

The article presents possible neural disorders caused by occupational hazards and shows mechanisms underlying those disorders. The authors define topical problems of basic science related to occupational neurology, which require further studies with neurochemical, immunologic, neurophysiologic methods and comparison.     

Work variety and individual differences in occupational boredom.

Examined the relationship between reported boredom and extraversion, neuroticism, intelligence, age, length of service, and work variety in 63 women engaged in press-operating jobs. Results show that boredom and fluctuations in feelings of boredom were negatively correlated with age and neuroticism (correlations significant at the 5% level). No significant correlations were found between boredom or fluctuations in boredom and length of service, intelligence, extraversion, or degree of work variety. However, day-to-day fluctuations in boredom were found to be less for older workers with little variety in their work. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A quasi-actuarial basis for individual assessment.

Describes the subgrouping of persons based upon the patterns of their prior experience, as derived from responses to a scored autobiographical inventory. It was hypothesized that persons who have behaved similarly in the past would continue to do so in the present and future, and that these behaviors can be measured by test responses in a variety of experimental and field-study settings. It is suggested that an individual may be assessed by (a) completing a biodata inventory, (b) being matched with the subgroup he most closely resembles, and (c) having attributed to him the modal behaviors of the given subgroup. It is noted that this is an extremely efficient appraisal for the individual. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What is a specialist? The role of board certification in occupational medicine

A shortage of occupational medicine physicians exists for which a number of solutions have been proposed. The lack of board-certified specialists to address the increasingly complex issues encountered in this area of medicine has contributed to a credibility and identity crisis within the occupational medicine community. This article will review the significance of board certification and its importance for enhancing and preserving the specialty of occupational medicine.     

Group and individual effects in problem solving.

Hypothesized that when working on a single problem, the combination of individual and group sessions would lead to more solutions than only individual or only group sessions. Dividing 128 Ss into 32 real and nominal work groups, the hypothesis was not confirmed. Instead, the individual production of ideas was found to be superior to either group production or the combination of group and individual production (p     

The French system of occupation medicine. II. Evolution of the French system of occupational medicine]

The validity of the 1991 Finnish Medical Birth Registry data was assessed, with special emphasis on the effects of changes made to the data collection form in 1990. Data abstracted from medical records for all births occurring in 49 hospitals during a five-day sample period (n = 865) were compared to the register information. Good or satisfactory validity was found for 32 of 33 variables, when minor error was tolerated in variables with continuous scales. For diagnoses and procedures, recorded in check-box format, satisfactory validity was found for 10 of 45 variables. Validity could not be assessed for 18 variables because of insufficient number of cases (13 items) or definition problems (5 items). When the results were compared to a 1987 data quality study, many of the variables that had been changed to the check-box format showed improvement in validity. In addition, in some cases a small change in question alternatives or instructions caused a noticeable change in validity.     

The special study module: a novel approach to undergraduate teaching in occupational medicine

Difficulties in teaching occupational medicine to undergraduates stem from the reduced availability of teaching time and the perception of the specialty. Recent changes in the General Medical Council curricular framework have permitted the development of a special study module (options course) in occupational medicine, in which a small number of motivated undergraduates elected to participate and which was adequately resourced. This course laid particular emphasis on changing students' attitudes towards the specialty, self-learning techniques, problem-solving and other skills such as workplace assessment. The objectives, content and teaching methods of the course are described, as is a preliminary evaluation. It is suggested that other medical schools should adopt and refine this approach in order to improve the quality of undergraduate training in at least a proportion of the output of medical schools.     

Current problems of occupational medicine in mining enterprises of the North

The article deals with causes of occupational diseases (including those due to complex factors) among miners in Far North and other regions of CIS. The authors present main principles for more healthy work conditions with considerations of climate surroundings.