Introduction:
In the context of a patient's contact with a member of a Primary Care
team,
usually a General Medical Practitioner, issues of Occupational Health
(the
influence of Work on Health, and of Health on Work) may be very
important.
The patient might also present to an Occupational Health professional,
or bypass the Primary Care team or the issue 'slips through the net' in
which case presentation may be to an Accident and Emergency Department,
to a hospital based specialist, or some other body. In any case, at
first
contact, the following aspects need to be considered:
- Could the patient have a problem or contend with a health
risk that may
be work-related?
-
If the answer to the above is 'Yes' - could this have urgent
implications?
- If the implications are potentially urgent and serious (see the first
example below) the primary health care worker must take urgent action
-even
if it is simply withdrawing the patient from exposure, and then seeking
appropriate advice. What is the appropriate action?
-
In any case, if the primary health care worker or the patient consider
that there may be a work related problem - where and how can more
information
be obtained, and who else can help?
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