Department of Medical Sciences, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala University Hospital, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden.
Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Section of Sustainable Health, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Feb 19;18(4):2018. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18042018.
Exposure assessment seldom precedes the medical health checks in occupational health surveillance. In order to emphasize the interconnection between exposure assessment and medical health checks, a process model was developed. The process model aimed to guide employers and Occupational Health Service providers through the execution of occupational health surveillance. The objective of this qualitative study is to explore company representatives' experiences of the process model, in terms of feasibility and values, and to identify factors that facilitate or impede the process. Thirty-three company representatives from ten companies were interviewed. Interviews were analyzed using content analysis. The company representatives experienced that the model contributed to increased risk awareness and understanding of the exposure effects on workers' health. They valued the exposure assessments performed by an ergonomics expert, which led to the discovery of previously unidentified risks. The feasibility was facilitated by: a joint start-up meeting in which the process was planned, clear communication between the involved parties, and clarity regarding the process ownership. The findings reveal that a guiding process model is valuable for the execution of occupational health surveillance. However, the model should not only define the components included; a practical guide concerning how the process can be executed is also needed.
职业健康监护中，暴露评估通常先于医学健康检查。为强调暴露评估与医学健康检查的相互关系，开发了一个过程模型。该过程模型旨在为雇主和职业健康服务提供者提供指导，以执行职业健康监护。本定性研究旨在探讨公司代表对该过程模型在可行性和价值方面的体验，以及识别促进或阻碍该过程的因素。对来自十家公司的 33 名公司代表进行了访谈。使用内容分析法对访谈进行分析。公司代表们的经验表明，该模型有助于提高风险意识和对暴露对工人健康影响的理解。他们重视由人体工程学专家进行的暴露评估，这导致发现了以前未识别的风险。可行性的促进因素包括：计划过程的联合启动会议、各方之间的清晰沟通以及对过程所有权的明确认识。研究结果表明，指导过程模型对于执行职业健康监护是有价值的。然而，该模型不仅应定义所包含的组件；还需要关于如何执行该过程的实用指南。
