Occupational medicine
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Occupational medicine · Feb 2003
NHS occupational health services in England and Wales--a changing picture.
To establish the extent of doctor input to occupational health (OH) service provision in the UK National Health Service (NHS) in 2001 and to compare this with inputs in 1998. ⋯ Steady progress is being made in improving the provision of OH services within the NHS. However, substantial variation exists in the apparent level of access to such provision. The government policy for all NHS staff to have access to a consultant-led service is not yet met. NHS Plus will impact on this picture and deserves study in the future.
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Occupational medicine · Sep 2002
Practice Guideline GuidelineGood medical practice: guidance for occupational physicians.
Following a catalogue of serious, highly publicized medical misdemeanours, the General Medical Council (GMC) has introduced plans for a new system of medical licensing in the UK called 'revalidation'. Under this, the onus will fall on individual doctors, including occupational physicians, to demonstrate their continuing fitness to practice. ⋯ As part of the process, the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, Royal College of Physicians, has produced its own guidance on good medical practice for occupational physicians, following an extensive consultation exercise. This paper summarizes the background to the initiative, the development process and the standards that have been recommended to aid professional accountability.
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Occupational medicine · Sep 2002
Job satisfaction of health care staff employed at health centres in Turkey.
The objective of the study was to identify job satisfaction levels and their causes among health care workers employed at public health centres. A survey was therefore carried out of health care workers in 21 health centres in Konya, Turkey. The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire was used to investigate job satisfaction. ⋯ There was no correlation between global satisfaction and other demographic variables. These results showed that the health care workers at public health centres in the province have low satisfaction scores. Improving working conditions and income may improve the overall quality of health care provision.
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Occupational medicine · Feb 2002
ReviewGuidance on standards of health for clinical health care workers.
Judgements about the health of clinical health care workers in relation to fitness to practice are made by a variety of doctors. These guidelines have been written to assist with such judgements and to facilitate equitable decision making in matters of employment.
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Occupational medicine · Jun 2001
Case ReportsHypocalcaemia and hypomagnesaemia due to hydrofluoric acid.
Hydrofluoric acid readily penetrates the skin and mucous membranes, causing deep tissue layer destruction. Dermal exposure can produce hypocalcaemia, hypomagnesaemia, hyperkalaemia, cardiac dysrhythmias and death. We report the case of a 52-year-old man who presented hypocalcaemia and hypomagnesaemia due to occupational dermal contact with hydrofluoric acid. Hypocalcaemia and hypomagnesaemia were corrected by i.v. administration of calcium gluconate and magnesium sulphate.