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Public Health Reports (Washington, D.C.... 2017This article explores the mentoring relationship between Alice Hamilton and Harriet Hardy, two female physician-researchers who had a tremendous impact on the...
This article explores the mentoring relationship between Alice Hamilton and Harriet Hardy, two female physician-researchers who had a tremendous impact on the development of the field of occupational health in the United States during the 20th century. The article relies on letters the women wrote to each other. Hamilton, the elder, supported and furthered Hardy's career by asking her to coauthor the second edition of a seminal occupational health text. After beginning this intellectual collaboration, Hamilton remained a mentor to Hardy, and a decades-long friendship ensued. The article explores their relationship within the historical, political, and social context in which the women worked and made remarkable contributions to public health.
Topics: History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; Humans; Mentoring; Occupational Health; Occupational Medicine; Toxicology; United States
PubMed: 28708961
DOI: 10.1177/0033354917717487 -
Revue Medicale de Liege Jun 2024Occupational medicine is an essential branch of preventive medicine that aims to protect the health of workers in the workplace. Any work situation exposes the worker to...
Occupational medicine is an essential branch of preventive medicine that aims to protect the health of workers in the workplace. Any work situation exposes the worker to occupational hazards. The three levels of prevention applied in occupational medicine make it possible, together, to control risks. Primary prevention aims to prevent the occurrence of damage related to occupational risks, secondary prevention aims to early detect work-related health problems and in tertiary prevention, the objective is to limit the consequences of occupational risks or diseases already developed. It is not always possible to completely eliminate an occupational hazard. Regular medical examinations, at a frequency appropriate to the risks identified, meet this objective and therefore make it possible to detect work-related health problems or problems that could influence work. A proactive approach focused on prevention helps to reduce occupational risks, prevent work-related diseases, and to promote a healthy and safe work environment for all.
Topics: Humans; Occupational Medicine; Occupational Diseases; Accidents, Occupational; Occupational Health
PubMed: 38869113
DOI: No ID Found -
Indian Journal of Public Health 2017
Topics: Humans; India; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Medicine; Quality Improvement
PubMed: 28928296
DOI: 10.4103/ijph.IJPH_267_17 -
Occupational and Environmental Medicine Dec 2005Over the last century, environmental and occupational medicine has played a significant role in the protection and improvement of public health. However, scientific...
Over the last century, environmental and occupational medicine has played a significant role in the protection and improvement of public health. However, scientific integrity in this field has been increasingly threatened by pressure from some industries and governments. For example, it has been reported that the tobacco industry manipulated eminent scientists to legitimise their industrial positions, irresponsibly distorted risk and deliberately subverted scientific processes, and influenced many organisations in receipt of tobacco funding. Many environmental whistleblowers were sued and encountered numerous personal attacks. In some countries, scientific findings have been suppressed and distorted, and scientific advisory committees manipulated for political purposes by government agencies. How to respond to these threats is an important challenge for environmental and occupational medicine professionals and their societies. The authors recommend that professional organisations adopt a code of ethics that requires openness from public health professionals; that they not undertake research or use data where they do not have freedom to publish their results if these data have public health implications; that they disclose all possible conflicts; that the veracity of their research results should not be compromised; and that their research independence be protected through professional and legal support. The authors furthermore recommend that research funding for public health not be directly from the industry to the researcher. An independent, intermediate funding scheme should be established to ensure that there is no pressure to analyse data and publish results in bad faith. Such a funding system should also provide equal competition for funds and selection of the best proposals according to standard scientific criteria.
Topics: Conflict of Interest; Environmental Medicine; Ethics, Research; Humans; Lead; Metallurgy; Occupational Medicine; Professional Misconduct; Public Health; Research Support as Topic; Tobacco Industry
PubMed: 16299092
DOI: 10.1136/oem.2005.021410 -
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) Jul 2001
Topics: Education, Medical; Evidence-Based Medicine; Humans; Occupational Medicine; Rehabilitation, Vocational; United Kingdom
PubMed: 11463664
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.323.7305.121 -
British Medical Journal (Clinical... Jan 1981
Topics: Codes of Ethics; Disclosure; Ethics, Medical; Occupational Medicine; Physician-Patient Relations; United Kingdom
PubMed: 6779926
DOI: No ID Found -
British Journal of Industrial Medicine Jul 1991In the 1930s in Britain, industrial medicine was a clinical discipline, the main purposes of which were to diagnose disability in applicants for work, to identify...
In the 1930s in Britain, industrial medicine was a clinical discipline, the main purposes of which were to diagnose disability in applicants for work, to identify industrial disease in the dangerous trades, and to provide first aid treatment for those injured or taken sick in the workplace. Following rapid developments in epidemiology and occupational hygiene and with more emphasis on "group health" and less on "individual care", occupational medicine has tended to become less of a clinical discipline; yet clinical skills are needed to assess fitness for work, to identify adverse effects of work, and to undertake consultations on a variety of health problems. Although care of the individual worker is a major task, an occupational health service has a responsibility for the health of the workforce as a whole, using epidemiology to plan and administer health care, to identify and control work related disorders, and to promote health by identifying positive factors in the organisation that induce a sense of well being; and by health screening and education programmes. Academic occupational health should not lose its identity as a clinical discipline in any merger with environmental health. Medical skills are needed to assess fitness for work and to identify human responses to adverse factors in the environment and to evaluate control measures.
Topics: Coronary Disease; Health Promotion; Humans; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Health Services; Occupational Medicine; Risk Factors; United Kingdom; Work Capacity Evaluation
PubMed: 1854647
DOI: 10.1136/oem.48.7.445 -
International Journal of Occupational... 2016Occupational medicine is a discipline continually evolving in response to technological advances, changes in workplaces and production processes, emergence of new...
OBJECTIVES
Occupational medicine is a discipline continually evolving in response to technological advances, changes in workplaces and production processes, emergence of new occupational risks and diseases and modifications in regulatory framework for occupational health and safety. Therefore, the recurrent revaluation of professional activity, information demands and education and training needs of occupational physicians is essential in order to identify methodologies and tools that may contribute to improvement of their professional knowledge and competency. In this regard, we conducted the first large-scale national survey of Italian occupational medicine physicians to define their demographic and professional activity and to assess their information demands, training and updating needs.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
A random sample of occupational physicians, listed in the national register of the Italian Ministry of Health, was selected to complete a voluntary survey. Subjects recruited in this study were asked to complete 3 different sections (personal and professional information, training and updating needs, professional activity and practice characteristics) of a questionnaire for a total of 35 questions.
RESULTS
Most of participants were specialized in occupational medicine, worked for a large number of companies and carried out health surveillance on a total number of workers that exceeds 1500. Occupational physicians would like to have a higher training offer towards practical aspects of health surveillance, risks assessment, manual handling of loads, chemical substances and upper limb biomechanical overload. Interestingly, statistically significant differences were observed subdividing the sample into different groups according to the legal requirements to perform the professional activity of occupational physicians in Italy or according to particular aspects of their professional activity.
CONCLUSIONS
This study has provided interesting findings that may help to guide future discussion on alternative and additional instruments and/or methodologies that may be adopted to implement the quality and effectiveness of occupational medicine practice. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2016;29(5):837-858.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Education, Medical, Continuing; Female; Humans; Italy; Male; Middle Aged; Occupational Health; Occupational Medicine; Physicians; Professional Practice; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 27518892
DOI: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00736 -
Annals of Global Health 2015Peru is a country located on the Pacific coast of South America with a population of more than 30 million inhabitants. In the past 10 years, Peru has had a steady...
Peru is a country located on the Pacific coast of South America with a population of more than 30 million inhabitants. In the past 10 years, Peru has had a steady economic growth. Peru is predominantly an extractive industry country, but the manufacturing and construction sectors are booming. It is in this context that regulations have been implemented to protect the safety and health of workers. One of the most important regulations is the Law on Safety and Health at Work, which has been recently promulgated. Regulations are complemented by training and education in occupational safety and health. The measures are yet to be fully implemented thus a positive effect in reducing accidents and occupational diseases at work has not yet been seen.
Topics: Accidents, Occupational; Environmental Medicine; Ergonomics; Humans; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Health; Occupational Health Nursing; Occupational Medicine; Peru
PubMed: 26709289
DOI: 10.1016/j.aogh.2015.08.027 -
Journal of UOEH 2021This paper provides a picture of the observations made over three hundred years ago by Bernardino Ramazzini (1633-1714) in light of current topical issues ranging from... (Review)
Review
This paper provides a picture of the observations made over three hundred years ago by Bernardino Ramazzini (1633-1714) in light of current topical issues ranging from health problems related to work and lifestyle habits to the current burdensome COVID-19 pandemic. The main aspects of his work consist of descriptions of disorders linked to environmental risks, suggestions for measures for risk protection, and recommendations for healthy living. This paper focuses on Ramazzini's most relevant achievements by (1) analyzing the episodes that stimulated the composition of his main work and highlighting some observations on which current epidemiological and toxicological studies are based; (2) reviewing his work showing not only the systematic descriptions of work-related illnesses caused by occupational factors but also his sound etiological and physiopathological contributions to the field of occupational lung diseases, breast cancer, and environmental disorders; and (3) remarking on his main observations in the fields of risk prevention and health promotion, also in the light of some highly topical issues related to unhealthy lifestyle habits and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Topics: COVID-19; Health Promotion; Healthy Lifestyle; History, 17th Century; History, 18th Century; Humans; Life Style; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Exposure; Occupational Health; Occupational Medicine; Risk
PubMed: 34483193
DOI: 10.7888/juoeh.43.341