Occupational health services (OHS) have developed together with other social protection measures in response to the challenges of the Industrial Revolution and associated demographic changes of the 19th century. They were perceived as necessary and often even initiated by industry. Their organization and tasks are defined by tripartite international labor law which is largely reflected in natio...

The Study Model for Future Occupational Health (funded by a research grant from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labor) is a joint research project involving various organizations and agencies undertaken from 2002 to 2004. Society has undergone a dramatic transformation due to technological developments and internationalization. At the same time a low birth rate and an aging population have ...

In 2003, the NSW Department of Health, in conjunction with the 17 area health services, completed the second year of the NSW Continuous Health Survey, an ongoing survey of the health of people in NSW using computerassisted telephone interviewing (CATI). The main aims of the NSW Continuous Health Survey are to provide detailed information on the health of the people of NSW, and to support the pl...

OBJECTIVES To study the nature and extent of evaluation research in occupational health services (OHSs). METHODS Literature review of evaluation research in OHSs. On the basis of a conceptual model of OHS evaluation, empirical studies are categorised into aspects of input, process, output, outcome, and OHS core activities. RESULTS Many methods to evaluate OHSs or OHS activities exist, depen...

The Health Quality & Safety Commission works with clinicians and health service providers to improve the quality and safety of health and disability services. One of the Commission’s priorities is for district health boards (DHBs) to implement paper or electronic medicine reconciliation in all hospitals by January 2012.1 To date, 17 DHBs have implemented medicine reconciliation based on the saf...

BACKGROUND We examined the current status of specialized agencies for occupational health management (SAs) and their workforce. Furthermore, we aimed to clarify the current practice status of SA healthcare professionals and factors that influence their performance. METHODS To examine the current SA workforce, we analyzed data from the 2014 Survey of Current Status of SA and their Workforce fr...

BACKGROUND Health risk appraisals (HRAs) in occupational health services (OHS) in Sweden are very commonly used for health promotion issues, but not much research has explored the extent and nature of individual feedback that is provided. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to describe and explore HRAs in OHS regarding the content of the feedback in relation to the individual status and overall emplo...

BACKGROUND There is difficulty in defining occupational health services among stakeholders of the service. Concurrently, there are concerns about the state of occupational health provision in the UK. AIMS To determine stakeholders' perception of the services that occupational health encompasses and the level as well as the rationale behind the provision of these services. METHODS The resear...

OBJECTIVES To find answers in the literature to the questions if, why, and how consumer satisfaction with occupational health services (OHSs) should be measured. METHODS Publications about the concept of consumer satisfaction with health care and surveys of consumer satisfaction with occupational health care were reviewed. RESULTS For care providers, surveys of consumer satisfaction can be ...

Occupational therapists are involved in delivering their services within a very complex health care environment and it is essential to understand the implications of the health care system in planning and implementing occupational therapy services. This month's column gives the occupational therapist a perspective on the health system and should be a guide for all clinicians and educators in lo...