[A quality assessment of prophylactic examinations carried out by physicians of various specializations and qualifications among employees in the Pomorskie Voivodeship in the years 2005-2008].

BACKGROUND The quality assessment of the prophylactic examinations of employees in the context of professional qualifications of physicians, presented by the authors, distinguished four groups of physicians legally entitled to conduct these examinations: physicians specialized in occupational medicine or with equivalent specializations, general practitioners and those with a six-year experience in industrial health service. The aim of the study was to compare the quality of prophylactic examinations and procedural errors made by these four groups of physicians. MATERIALS AND METHODS The protocols of inspections carried out by occupational medicine center in Gdansk in the years 2005-2008 were used for analysis. The criteria have been singled out on the basis of occupational health legal regulations. RESULTS Significant differences were noted in the quality of the conducted prophylactic examinations. CONCLUSIONS Occupational medicine specialists were found to be the only group of physicians sufficiently qualified to conduct prophylactic examinations. In view of the study results it seems necessary to modify the training system as well as to revise professional knowledge and qualifications especially among physicians without occupational medicine specialization or to verify the range of competences assigned to them in the field ofprophylactic examinations.