Occupational Health Education Research Articles

Moral factors, influencing communication between nephrologists and patients

This study was developed by a group of professionals from different areas (nurses and educators) concerned with health education. It proposes the use of a problem-posing model for the transformation of professional practice. The concept and functions of the model and their relationships with the educative practice of health professionals are discussed. The model of problem-posing education is presented (compared to traditional, “banking” education), and four innovative experiences of teaching–learning are reported based on this model. These experiences, carried out in areas of environmental and occupational health and patient education have shown the applicability of the problem-posing model to the practice of the health professional, allowing transformation.

Choosing treatment of Menorrhagia: do women's preferences count?

This study was developed by a group of professionals from different areas (nurses and educators) concerned with health education. It proposes the use of a problem-posing model for the transformation of professional practice. The concept and functions of the model and their relationships with the educative practice of health professionals are discussed. The model of problem-posing education is presented (compared to traditional, “banking” education), and four innovative experiences of teaching–learning are reported based on this model. These experiences, carried out in areas of environmental and occupational health and patient education have shown the applicability of the problem-posing model to the practice of the health professional, allowing transformation.

Problem-posing in education: transformation of the practice of the health professional

This study was developed by a group of professionals from different areas (nurses and educators) concerned with health education. It proposes the use of a problem-posing model for the transformation of professional practice. The concept and functions of the model and their relationships with the educative practice of health professionals are discussed. The model of problem-posing education is presented (compared to traditional, “banking” education), and four innovative experiences of teaching–learning are reported based on this model. These experiences, carried out in areas of environmental and occupational health and patient education have shown the applicability of the problem-posing model to the practice of the health professional, allowing transformation.

産業保健教育をめぐって

産業保健教育をめぐって

労働者を対象とした産業保健教育

労働者を対象とした産業保健教育

Education and training in occupational and environmental health

Posits that in the last decade or so, there has been a very great increase of training courses in occupational and environmental health, not only in developing countries but in developed ones as well. However, training for occupational health nurses and education in general environmental and occupational health for schoolteachers and school students, and students in engineering and business management, still leave much to be desired.

An ergonomic education and evaluation program for apprentice carpenters.

Eighteen new apprentice carpenters received sixteen hours of ergonomics awareness education as a part of their regular apprenticeship training during 1994 and 1995. An equal number of apprentices received no training but served as controls. The training took place in the Southwest Ohio District Council of Carpenter's Joint Apprenticeship and Training School. The curriculum was designed to be "learner-centered." Instruction included short lectures presented by a journeyman carpenter and emphasized participatory activities in the school's carpentry shop. Ongoing program evaluation assessed trainees' reactions to the content and structure of the curriculum and its influence on their behavior. Trainees and controls completed brief quizzes on ergonomic knowledge. Hands-on exercises enabled trainees to apply recently acquired ergonomic knowledge in the school's carpentry shop. Trainees scored significantly higher on one-half of the post-session quizzes and the comprehensive test. Trainees preferred participatory teaching methods, especially those using redesigned tools (93%) and evaluating ergonomic risks (86%); and they supported continued safety and health education during apprentice training. The authors conclude that apprentice-ship programs should provide regular "learner-centered" occupational safety and health education that includes ergonomics, and these programs should be integrated with their shop-based manual arts instruction.

Medical Education in Occupational Health Using Simulated Patients and Role Playing

Medical Education in Occupational Health Using Simulated Patients and Role Playing

Trade unions and the training of health and safety representatives in Europe

Discusses research into provisions for education and training in health and safety offered by trade unions in a number of European countries. Uses material gathered in the survey to consider the role of trade union training in health and safety and its contribution to the operation of participative management of health and safety at the workplace level. Discusses the significance of employee representation in health and safety regulation and examines the support provided by trade union training in the context of factors that influence its effectiveness. Several specific aspects of trade union training are identified as characteristic. Other aspects of trade union health and safety education that contribute to the overall support and proactive role of trade unions in preventative health and safety are identified and discussed. Trade unions make extensive provision for education and training in occupational health and safety. This is a significant factor in raising awareness of health and safety issues and the development of a preventive health and safety ethos in all of the countries included in the study. Argues that it is possible to identify a common pedagogy in trade union education and training in occupational health and safety. This pedagogy is rooted in the educational methods of labour education, emphasizing the value of participants’ own experience and developing a collective approach to the definition and solution of problems, while encouraging listening and communication skills in this process. Shows that although trade unions have suffered a loss of influence and power across Europe during the past decade ‐ and in some countries their losses have been severe ‐ in the case of education and training in health and safety, generally trade unions have maintained a significant provision as well as continuing to develop an innovative and dynamic approach to its content and delivery.

Agricultural health and safety in Australia.

Farm injury is a major problem for agriculture in Australia. Agriculture is subject to rates of work-related deaths that are among the highest in Australia, while on-farm injuries result in between 20 and 60 presentations to rural hospital emergency departments per 100 farms per annum. Pervention of farm injury has been constrained by: (i) lack of relevant information regarding injury causation; (ii) lack of appropriate education and training in occupational health and safety; (iii) limited applicability of previous occupational health and safety legislation; and (iv) lack of the necessary management tools for farmers to manage risk Farmsafe Australia has developed a risk management approach to assist the farming community to reduce risk of injury and death and, to reduce the costs associated with the current high injury and death rate. The Farmsafe network is maintained to varying degrees at local. State and national levels. Farmsafe organisations are comprised of members from relevant agencies and other individuals with an interest and commitment to improved safety in agriculture; namely, farmers, women, government departments and unions. Moves have been made to develop joint farm injury prevention programs between health service providers and those whose role is primarily in prevention. The challenge remains, however, to develop more effective and sustainable partnerships between these groups to minimise the impact of farm injury for those who are injured and for rural communities.

3rd International Conference on Information Technologies in Occupational Safety and Health Information, Training and Education

3rd International Conference on Information Technologies in Occupational Safety and Health Information, Training and Education

Professional education in occupational health and safety in Australia

Legislative changes, and the general drive by practitioners to acquire recognised professional qualifications, has resulted in a considerable increase in the number of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) courses offered by Tertiary Institutions. In 1990 Worksafe Australia, in consultation with relevant Government Authorities, and professional groups, decided to develop guidelines on the standards required of OHS courses. A background paper on current Australian OHS courses was prepared in 1992. Twenty six educational institutions, offering programs designed to graduate OHS personnel, were sent questionnaires. Information was sought regarding course objectives, and curriculum. The response rate was 81% and pertained to 32 individual OHS courses (25 generalist and 7 specialist). The range of awards analysed varied from Associate Diploma to Masters level. Most courses contained a high percentage of core content ( x = 96% for generalist and 79% for specialist courses). Generalist courses devoted a considerable percentage of the core curriculum to social science ( x = 24% for Grad Dip) and science ( x = 22% for Masters). Courses varied with regard to the percentage of core curricula devoted to fieldwork ( x < 10% in Grad Dip and Masters). Most courses devoted time ( x = 18%) to research related subjects. Although WHO and OHS professional groups have identified the need to include proactive strategies in courses, less than 10% of responding institutions identified these within subject descriptions. Commonality in core curricula was found to exist in the OHS courses offered by the institutions surveyed. This occurred regardless of the award level or whether the courses were generalist or specialist in focus. There was however, variation between the percentage of core hours devoted to similar subjects. Identified outcome competencies for core content areas would simplify course development and ensure the desired skills in graduates.

Dealing with controversial issues on occupational health educational courses

Aims: (1) to examine areas of controversy which arise in the occupational health course curriculum, and (2) to identify best practices in addressing and resolving those controversies. Methods: A literature review reveals that occupational health practice and policy contain many controversies. The BSc and MSc occupational health course curricula at the Nottingham Trent University contain toxicology, epidemiology, occupational hygiene, and occupational health policy. These subjects raise questions which may be controversial and have been so identified by students —through the collection, interpretation, dissemination and presentation of data; different methodologies; funding of particular types of occupational health research; use of data in setting standards, and making policy. Case studies on coal mining, coal gas industry and formaldehyde are used on the courses to examine the controversial topics raised by students. Results: Evaluations reveal that controversy should be openly acknowledged in the teaching of occupational health. Those providing courses need to be aware of the tensions and problems which may arise when controversy emerges on courses. Methods are available for raising the subject and dealing with it as a positive pedagogic tool. This entails the use of case studies which examine several different perspectives and approaches to the controversy linked to comparative and historical studies. Conclusions: The teaching of occupational health to clinical and non-clinical students, from a range of backgrounds, is not a value-free activity. Controversial questions central to key topics in occupational health relating to science and technology as well as policy will always emerge. These should be openly recognised and discussed on courses through, for instance, case study material which identifies and analyses a range of approaches to the subject.

Emerging issues in occupational health education as reflected in the previous ICOH conferences

Emerging issues in occupational health education as reflected in the previous ICOH conferences

Preferred components of an occupational health service for small industry in New Zealand: health protection or health promotion?

Two hundred workers in small industry in New Zealand completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire about worksite occupational health services. The majority (71%) saw a need for these. Only 15% considered that they should include general health advice. The component with the highest approval was specialist referrals (95%), followed by biological monitoring (80%), occupational health education (77%), local environmental issues (77%) and workplace environmental monitoring (74%). General health education and health promotion ranked lowest at 65% and 55%, respectively. There was no difference between occupational groups except for general health education (P = 0.003), which the administrative group rated lower (41%) than the other groups did (66-83%). The most favoured single component in a protection/prevention service was biological monitoring (42%), and the most favoured component in a service dealing with non-work-related issues was local environmental issues (37%), with counselling and lifestyle issues the least favoured (9% each). There were statistically significant differences (P = 0.03) between occupational groups for non-work-related services. The results of the survey suggest that there is little demand for health promotion activities but good support for a protection/prevention service in small industry.

Environmental and Occupational Health Education

1. Community health nurses address a wide variety of environmental issues, including problems with air and water quality, hazardous waste, and pesticide exposure. 2. Many community health nurses do not feel competent in identifying resources among health professionals and regulatory agencies to address environmental health issues. 3. Most community health nurses (79%) are interested in learning more about environmental health issues, with continuing education as the preferred format. 4. Major conceptual areas of occupational health and environmental health overlap, and qualified occupational health nurses may serve as resources in these particular areas.

The Political Economy of Health: A Useful Theoretical Tool for Health Education Practice

Political economy is a broad theoretical framework which can help health educators better understand the many economic, political, and socio-historical forces which shape contemporary health problems, and our approaches to these problems. Its attention to the dynamics of race, class and gender, as these interact to effect the lives of individuals and broader social groups, makes a political economy approach an important supplement and complement to other macro and micro level theories at the base of health education practice. This article defines political economy, highlighting several of its key theoretical assumptions and describing their relevance for our understanding of health issues. Implications and applications then are provided demonstrating the utility of a political economy perspective in such diverse areas as occupational health education, physician-patient interactions, grass roots organizing and self help among African American women, and health care reform.

The teaching of occupational health in US medical schools: little improvement in 9 years.

A questionnaire survey of the 127 US medical schools was undertaken to assess the present status of occupational health teaching as a follow-up to two prior similar studies. The present study revealed that 78 (68%) of the 115 responding schools specifically taught occupational health during the 1991/92 academic year, in comparison with 50% in the 1977/78 and 66% in the 1982/83 academic years. The median required curriculum time was 6 hours in 1991/92, as compared with 4 hours in both previous surveys. Despite the increasing recognition of occupational health and growth of information in this field of medicine, occupational health teaching to medical students has not progressed proportionately.

Fourth international conference on education and training in occupational health

Fourth international conference on education and training in occupational health

Nurse tutors urged to include Green issues.

Nurse tutors must include environmental issues in their occupational health teaching if nursing's voice is not to be ignored, an American educator told the conference.