The factors affecting medical professionals health

Abstract

A review of publications in scientific medical literature devoted to the study of factors affecting medical professionals health is presented. They reflect the diversity of physical, chemical, biological harmful to health effects faced by medical professionals when delivering care to patients. Often there is a simultaneous exposure to several factors, bearing the risk to human health. Reliable data on occupational diseases of medical professionals do not actually exist. This caused, above all, by socio-economic reasons, a tendency to self-medication, low medical aid appealability, imperfection of prenosological diagnostics and restricted list of reportable occupational diseases. When performing their professional responsibilities medical professionals are exposed to many factors harmful to health, their work is associated with significant psychological and physical stress. Occupational diseases and morbidity with temporary disability depend on the medical professional specialty and affecting them work-related factors, as well as on the existing environmental situation. As an analysis of the specialized domestic and foreign literature showed, a unified approach to study the medical professionals’ morbidity has not yet been produced. An effective information-analytical system for the medical professionals health control, which would ensure full objective timely information on the number of medical workers exposed to harmful work environment factors, their existing diseases (somatic and occupational), the nature of the disorder course, remission duration, disability, rehabilitation measures effectiveness, is still not developed in Russia.