Occupational medicine doctor – the course of the visit, tests, frequency

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The task of an occupational medicine physician is to determine whether a potential employee can perform work in a specific position. Occupational medicine doctors also issue medical certificates to students or pupils in which they confirm their ability to perform a chosen profession, and thus confirm the possibility of education in the chosen field of study.

Occupational medicine – description of specialization

Occupational medicine is defined as a multidisciplinary field dealing with the protection of the health of working people against the influence of various harmful environmental factors. Occupational medicine also covers issues related to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of occupational diseases.

A doctor specializing in occupational medicine deals with the initial, periodic and follow-up examinations of employees. He also runs an in-house clinic for employees with specialist offices. An occupational medicine doctor examines students, drivers, people working at sea, divers, scuba divers and people applying for a Sanitary Book or a firearms license.

The task of the occupational medicine physician is to assess the patient’s health condition. Occupational medicine doctors usually include general practitioners who conduct basic examinations, as well as doctors of many specialties, including ophthalmologists, neurologists, cardiologists, diabetologists and ENT specialists.

How to make an e-visit? Check: How do I find an e-visit doctor?

Occupational medicine doctor – duties

An occupational medicine physician must have completed medical studies and a 5-year basic medical specialty. The duties of an occupational medicine doctor include:

1. diagnosing hazards in the workplace and in a given position;
2. presentation of harmful external factors related to work;
3. stating ability, incapacity or contraindications for employment;
4. conducting health prophylaxis of working people;
5. informing about safety in the workplace;
6. setting appropriate working conditions that will not adversely affect the employee’s health;
7. drawing up an inventory of equipment, equipment and clothing for a given workplace;
8. diagnosis of occupational diseases;
9. treatment of detected ailments;
10. participation in lawsuits related to safety in the workplace;
11. organization of promotional campaigns on health and safety at work.

Do you want to dispel doubts related to medical teleportation? Check: Telemedicine: frequently asked questions and answers

Occupational medicine doctor – qualifications

In his work, the occupational medicine physician cooperates with various authorities. First of all, the occupational medicine doctor cooperates with employers, employees, organizations, trade unions, doctors of other specializations, the Social Insurance Institution, the National Labor Inspectorate, and the Sanitary Inspectorate. If the occupational medicine doctor determines that there is a health risk at the place of work or the employer’s violation of the employee’s rights, he is obliged to inform the relevant services about this fact.

Visit to an occupational medicine doctor

Every person starting their professional career is required to visit occupational medicine doctor. Regardless of whether our work is office activities or work with harmful substances, you cannot start work without a valid certificate from occupational medicine doctor.

In order to make an appointment with an occupational medicine physician, you must show the appropriate referral. A referral to an occupational medicine doctor is issued by the employer. Such a referral should contain information about the workplace along with a description of the factors with which the employee will come into contact. This is because the scope and course of the tests during the visit depends on these data. If the employee is currently ill or is undergoing treatment, during the visit he should present the current test results and inform about the medications taken.

While the visit to u occupational medicine doctor may seem like an unnecessary formality at times, you have to remember that it’s a task occupational medicine first and foremost is the protection of our health. Occupational physician assesses the state of our health, and conducts an interview to examine the environment in which we will work. During such a visit, preliminary tests are carried out, and with the years of work in a given position – periodic and control tests.

What tests should be done on a regular basis? Check: Eight tests worth doing at least once a year

If the occupational medicine doctor determines that we will need glasses for work, the employer is obliged to cover part of the cost of their purchase. Other tests are valid for positions that require working in noise or operating certain machines. Then it is recommended to visit an ENT or neurologist.

What tests should I do to check my health? Read: Basic profile – what tests will assess overall health?

On this basis, it decides whether to issue a decision or refer it to doctors of a different specialty. Only having a set of certificates from doctors of all recommended specialties, we can receive a medical certificate confirming ours ability to work in a given position.

It is worth remembering that during the visit, the occupational medicine doctor may ask about the medications taken, chronic diseases, addictions, operations, accidents and diseases that occur or have occurred in the family. During the visit, the doctor performs basic tests, i.e. blood pressure measurement and auscultation of the chest. It is worth supplementing your card with the data that we know, i.e. body weight and height – this will shorten the visit by weighing and measuring height. The visit to the occupational medicine doctor is also accompanied by tests such as morphology and urine tests.

When visiting an occupational medicine doctor, you cannot forget about all the accessories that we use to improve everyday functioning. People with visual impairments should take glasses or wear lenses with them. Hearing impaired people shouldn’t forget about their hearing aids.

Read more about blood tests: Basic Blood Tests – Meaning, Interpretation

Periodic examinations are carried out by the employee every 1-5 years, and their frequency is closely related to the nature of the position at which he works. People exposed to high levels of noise at work should undergo annual ENT examinations, while teachers should undergo phoniatric examinations every 5 years. If we are on sick leave for more than 30 days and we return to work on our own or another position, we also need to see an occupational medicine doctor.

Certain fields of study require an occupational medicine doctor’s certificate. These are courses of study or technicians that require learning in a laboratory or operating machinery.

The employer is obliged to pay the wages for the time the employee has devoted to occupational medicine researchand these should take place during his working hours.

Types of preventive examinations in occupational medicine

You sign up for an appointment with an occupational medicine physician to undergo preventive examinations. There are 4 types of examinations performed by an occupational medicine doctor:

1. Preliminary research – these are tests that are performed by all people starting work in a given place. This applies to a new job, but also to a transfer to another position, where there may be factors harmful to the employee’s health. The tests that are performed depend on the specificity of the job position specified in the signed employment contract. After carrying out all the prescribed examinations, the employee receives a certificate of fitness for work from the occupational medicine physician. The decision also includes information about the date of the next tests. Initial tests are not performed on people who re-start working for the same employer and in the same position. This applies to a contract signed within 30 days of the termination or expiry of the previous employment contract;
2. periodic examinations – these are tests that are performed by all employees, regardless of their positions. However, the frequency of periodic tests depends on the type and nuisance of factors related to the position held. Periodic examinations should be performed during working hours, and the absence in the position during this time is not the basis for reducing the salary. If the periodic tests have to be carried out in another city, the costs related to the journey are covered by the employer. Periodic examinations are performed during the term of the employment contract. However, in cases where the workplace has been associated with contact with carcinogenic substances, the employer must provide the employee periodic tests also after the end of cooperation;
3. checkups – these are tests performed on employees who are incapable of work due to sickness for a period of at least 30 days. Control tests are performed to determine whether the employee can safely return to his current job;
4. research for sanitary and epidemiological purposes – these are tests that are performed to exclude diseases that are contraindications to work in contact with food. These tests usually have to be performed by people who apply for positions in restaurants, grocery stores or hotels. A sanitary and epidemiological examination is a basic medical examination and a laboratory examination, i.e. a triple examination of the feces.

Where can I get a referral for medical examinations? Read: Medical examination referral

Work medicine doctor privately

It happens that as a result of incomplete contracts between the employer and the clinic providing occupational medicine services, the employee has to bear the cost of the tests performed. For such an eventuality, you should have the employer’s data (address, tax identification number) ready and ask the clinic to issue an invoice. The employer is obliged to reimburse us for the costs of the tests ordered by us.

Occupational medicine doctor – diagnosis and treatment of occupational diseases

One of the tasks of an occupational medicine doctor is to diagnose and treat occupational diseases. Occupational diseases can be divided into:

1. eye diseases – cataracts, myopia, eye injuries, foreign bodies in the eyeball;
2. diseases of the hearing organ – hearing loss, hearing impairment, dizziness;
3. diseases of the voice organ – laryngeal cancer, laryngitis, voice change, hoarseness, loss of voice;
4. respiratory system diseases – cancer, emphysema, bronchial asthma, pneumoconiosis, tuberculosis;
5. cardiovascular diseases – thrombosis, varicose veins, atrial fibrillation, heart attack;
6. digestive system diseases – gastric and duodenal ulcers, intestinal diseases, food allergies, cancer, liver cirrhosis, urolithiasis, esophageal reflux;
7. diseases of the urinary system – kidney stones, cancer, kidney failure, urinary tract infection;
8. hematological diseases – leukemia, anemia;
9. endocrine system diseases – diabetes, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, weight problems, cancer;
10. dermatological and allergological diseases – atopic dermatitis, skin allergies, urticaria, rhinitis;
11. infectious diseases – HIV and AIDS, hepatitis, rotavirus, salmonella, toxoplasmosis;
12. diseases of the locomotor system – osteoporosis, degenerative diseases, lupus, arthritis, myositis.

An occupational medicine doctor may notice irregularities during the examination and diagnose an occupational disease. In this case, the employee will be referred to an outpatient clinic, occupational disease clinic or hospital. On the basis of a medical certificate, an occupational disease or its absence is confirmed by the Poviat Sanitary Inspector.

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