Occupational Health Physicians Research Articles

Behaviour of occupational health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BackgroundDisasters, crises and pandemics are emergencies which impact on businesses severely. The COVID-19 pandemic reached its peak in mid-April 2020 in the UK. During this period, NHS Occupational Health Services (OHS) were stretched to their limit along with other health services. OHS may have had to change their pattern of operation, operating times, services offered, etc. to cope with the pandemic. Data about business model modifications, services offered by the OHS businesses during the pandemic could help in better utilization of OHS resources in the future.AimsTo understand the behaviour of OHS in different parts of the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsAn online survey link was sent to both accredited and unaccredited UK Occupational Health Physicians (OHPs).ResultsSixty-two OHPs responded to the survey. In the current pandemic, 51% of the OHS (95% CI 0.38–0.62) offered weekend or out-of-hours (OOH) services, 21% had to employ extra staff (95% CI 0.13–0.33) and 54% had to change their working hours (95% CI 0.41–0.65). Ninety per cent of the OHS (95% CI 0.78–0.94) continued to offer routine services; however, there was a decline in offering vaccination services. Fifty-six per cent of the OHS (95% CI 0.42–0.67) offered a dedicated telephone line and 46% of the OHS (95% CI 0.32–0.56) started a dedicated COVID-19 queries inbox.ConclusionsThere was a change in the behaviour of the OHS to cope with the pandemic. Having a dedicated helpline to manage the crisis situation seemed a logical step whilst offering routine services.

An assessment of the role of the Social Insurance Institution in the occupational activation of people with health problems, conducted by issuing decisions on the appropriateness of vocational retraining

The new training allowance policy has been put in the Social Insurance Institution to bring back to employment workers with health problems unfit for their previous occupation. These people, following specific vocational training, may acquire new skills and competencies to stay on the labor market. The aim of this study was to assess the role of the Social Insurance Institution in the activation of persons with health problems, which was carried out by issuing opinions about the appropriateness of vocational retraining. The analysis included 460 cases in which decisions on the appropriateness of vocational retraining, due to the inability to work in the current profession, were issued in 2009. It was found that 40.9% of the analyzed cases were not in accordance with the principles of adjudicating on the incapacity for work and applicable law. The majority of the study group (72.4%) were people with basic vocational education. No significant changes were found as regards gender, age and the place of residence between the retrained (N = 89) and not retrained subjects (N = 252). In the retrained group including 89 persons, 13 subjects started to collect pension again within 6 months; and 1 person collected pension while working. In addition, 51 (57.3%) retrained subjects were unemployed. After 12 months, the number of unemployed subjects decreased to 31. The effectiveness of the training allowance as a tool for the activation of people with health problems, expressed as the number of retrained people who returned to the labor market, is low. More than 80% of the people fail to get retrained and some of them again submit pension applications. A large number of incorrect vocational retraining opinions, as well as the lack of cooperation between institutions conducting retraining (the Social Insurance Institution and labor offices) resulted in a limited effectiveness of the training allowance. In order to enhance the effectiveness of the training allowance, it is necessary to carry out organizational and legislative changes, with particular emphasis on expanding the knowledge of medical examiners representing the Social Insurance Institution and occupational health physicians, as well as to improve cooperation between all institutions involved in the occupational activation of people with health problems. Med Pr. 2020;71(3):309-23.

Belastungsfaktoren, Overcommitment und Burnout-Risiko bei Bankangestellten unterschiedlichen Alters

Strain factors, overcommitment und burnout risk among bank employees in relation to age Objective: Trends in the working world, financial crises and growing competitive pressure are influencing factors leading to an increase in psychological strain among bank employees. The aim of the study was to analyse the correlations between job-related strain factors and perception of the latter as well as the risk of burnout among bank employees, with overcommitment (OC) as a control variable. Method: In this study, 90 employees (mean age 43.2 ± 9.4 years) working in a regional bank completed questionnaires assessing strain factors, individual stress perception, OC and burnout risk. Results: The main job-related strain factors identified among bank employees were ‘increased data maintenance’, ‘increased PC knowledge requirements’, ‘poor communication structures’, ‘hierarchical pressure to perform’ and ‘pressure to fulfil targets’. One fifth of the overall collective showed an effort-reward imbalance. The subjective perception of older bank employees indicated more pressure to perform concurrent with a lower level of appreciation. Approximately one tenth of the subjects had a critical tendency towards OC, with age not really a significant factor here. The burnout risk among both age groups was comparatively small (2%). There was evidence of weak correlations between some stress factors and burnout risk. The correlations had some influence on OC, whereas age did not. Conclusions: A framework of stress-reducing and coping strategies must be established in order to safeguard the long-term mental health of bank employees. The early detection and prevention of burnout risk, the promotion of an effort-reward balance and the setting of achievable goals are only some of the key factors. It is also advisable to optimise collaboration between occupational health physicians, management and bank employees in order to deal with the problem and improve mental health. Keywords: bank-specific strain factors – effort-reward-imbalance – overcommitment – burnout risk

Cognitive Impairment in Aging Physicians: Current Challenges and Possible Solutions.

Aging physicians are at a higher risk of cognitive impairment, undermining patient safety and unraveling physicians' careers. Neurologists, occupational health physicians, and psychiatrists will participate in both health system policy decisions and individual patient evaluations. We address cognitive impairment in aging physicians and attendant risks and benefits. If significant cognitive impairment is found after an appropriate evaluation, precautions to confidentially support physicians' practicing safely for as long as possible should be instituted. Understanding that there is heterogeneity and variability in the course of cognitive disorders is crucial to supporting cognitively impaired, practicing physicians. Physicians who are no longer able to practice clinically have other meaningful options.

Die betriebsärztliche Betreuung von Erwerbstätigen – Ergebnisse der repräsentativen lidA-Studie

Occupational health provision among workers in Germany: results of the representative lidA study Introduction: There is an ongoing debate in Germany as to whether there is a sufficient number of active occupational health physicians (OHPs) to meet the need for occupational health surveillance. In this contribution, the frequency of OHP contact with employees is investigated based on data of a representative sample of older workers in Germany. Methods: The data come from the third wave (2018) of the German lidA study (www.lida-studie.de), a longitudinal study investigating work, age, health and employment among workers born in 1959 or 1965. Data analysis was restricted to those in full-time or part-time employment at the time of the interview (n=3039). The analysis of data is descriptive and specification by occupation required at least 25 cases per occupational group. Results: 62.1 % of all respondents (n=1888) reported that their enterprise had an OHP. 52.1 % of all employees had already had personal contact with him, half of them in the past 12 months. It was not possible to identify a statistically significant correlation with the extent of physical strain at work. Members of the engineering and medical professions and academics reported high OHP contact rates, while low rates were reported by some manual and service professions (e.g. construction and cleaning jobs), administrative professions and retail workers. Discussion: The findings do not point directly to a shortage of OHPs in Germany. However, they do suggest an imbalance in the distribution of OHP resources: some occupations report OHP contacts on a smaller scale than would be expected, whilst the opposite applies to others. Conclusions: There is a need for an in-depth scientific analysis of the current organisation, practice and quality of occupational health surveillance in Germany. Keywords: occupational health surveillance – contact with occupational health physician – lack of occupational health physicians – employees – professional groups – empirical survey

Working at the hospital during pregnancy: A descriptive national cross-sectional study in France

The objective of the article is to describe the follow-up of pregnancies at work and occupational exposure to potential risks for pregnancy. A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed from April1, 2017 to October31, 2017 in the occupational health departments of French hospitals. After delivery and at the time of returning to work, 1,165eligible workers were interviewed by occupational health physicians (OHPs). Socio-demographic information was self-reported. Occupational exposures were assessed by an OHP. Birth weight, gestational age, and sick leaves were also collected. Among recruited workers, 51.8% were exposed to more than 5 occupational hazards. Biological and physical hazards were the most common hazards at the workplace. Note that heavy lifting≥15kg concerned 9.5% of workers. Only 20.1% of workers had a specific "pregnancy at work" medical visit with OHP during pregnancy; 26.8% benefited from workstation adjustments. In contrast, the level of sick leaves was high (86.7%). Our data suggest that pregnant workers in hospitals must be strictly supervised.

Work environment that support workers with diseases to maintain a work-treatment balance in Ishikawa prefecture: relationship with company scale and type of industry

We investigated the support environments in companies in Ishikawa prefecture that aim to maintain a balance between work and treatment of their employees' diseases. The relationships between these strategies, company size, and type of industry were examined. In 2016, as a part of a survey, questionnaires were sent to 1,491 companies with ≥ 50 employees. Of the 688 companies who responded (response rate, 46.1%), 624 companies who provided complete main survey data were included in the final analysis. The questionnaire acquired responses on systems for arranging working hours and sick leave, the role of occupational health physicians, and the outcomes of support that was offered over the last 3 years. The targeted diseases were mental health problems, such as depression, and physical diseases. Responses were compared according to the size of the company and type of industry. A total of 409 companies (65.5%) reported their experiences of helping employees maintain a balance between treatment and work over the last 3 years. Employees with depression received the most support. In 36.7% of the companies, some employees had retired due to their disease over the last 3 years, with the highest proportion in medical care and welfare businesses. Further, 66% of the companies had a support system to help employees with diseases, and the proportion of companies with flexible working hours and sick leave increased with the number of employees. The proportion of companies with shorter working hours and hourly paid leave was lower in the manufacturing industry and transportation/traffic business. The proportion of companies in which an occupational health physician interviewed employees who took sick leave and returned to work was 22%. Almost 70% of the companies reported supporting workers during their disease treatment. There were some differences in arranging these support systems between companies of varying sizes and type of industry. The enablement of companies to support workers with diseases so that they keep working and receive treatment requires consideration of company characteristics.

Understanding Physician’s Experience With Conversational Interfaces During Occupational Health Consultation

This paper presents an exploratory study on using conversational interfaces (CIs) to support physicians in conducting occupational health consultations. The CI was achieved through a web-based information dashboard with a chatbot assistant for providing real-time suggestions through text messages. Two system designs were developed: the first using a proactive chatbot, the second using an on-demand type of interaction. The effectiveness of the proposed CI and the two types of chatbot designs were investigated in a field study consisted of eight healthcare consultations. Quantitative results showed that the CI was positively evaluated as a reliable tool to be used during medical consultations and that occupational health physicians were eager to use this technology in their work. The qualitative data analysis suggested that our design concept might improve the workflow during the consultation, particularly with respect to the access to relevant information and structured decision-making processes using valuable references. The on-demand, lightweight type of chatbot interaction was better perceived than the proactive one. Based on these findings, we discuss implications for the future development of occupational health consultation based on CI and their potential contribution to computer-assisted, data-driven healthcare.

Job security of occupational physicians

Aim: This article discusses the function of occupational physicians in relation to their preventive role in occupational health and the significance of maintaining their professional independence. Material and Methods: The study examines Code no. 6331, the basis of Turkish occupational health and safety legislation and the Regulation on Occupational Physicians’ and Other Healthcare Professionals’ Duties, Powers, Liabilities and Training, which constitutes a regulatory framework for the occupational healthcare services. Amendments made to these texts will be evaluated in the context of the need for professional independence for occupational physicians. Results: Amendments made in 2015 to occupational health and safety legislation benefit occupational physicians by subjecting employers to pay indemnity in case of termination of contract or causing a disadvantage for the physicians. Conclusion: Amendments made in 2015 have been criticized in legal doctrine and by Turkish Medical Association for not providing full job security to occupational physicians. It is recommended that a special job security regulation similar to the one that trade union representatives have, be granted to occupational physicians. Another recommendation is, subjecting the termination of contracts of occupational physicians to the approval of administrative authorities such as labor inspectors.

Effectiveness of the measures aimed at containing Sars-cov-2 virus spreading in work settings: a survey in companies based in the Veneto region of Italy.

«Effectiveness of the measures aimed at containing Sars-cov-2 virus spreading in work settings: a survey in companies based in the Veneto region of Italy».Introduction:During the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic, occupational health physicians worked to respond to different needs of workers, employers, and health authorities. In collaboration with the Prevention Department of the Veneto region of Italy, a survey was promoted in nine manufacturing companies in the province of Padua, to investigate the prevalence of asymptomatic SarsCov-2 virus and the immunological status of 1,267 workers.Scope:The study was aimed at verifying the effectiveness of measures to contain the virus spread among workers in the workplace as required by the agreement between the social partners signed on March 14, 2020.Methods:The survey was carried out at workplaces by trained health physicians and almost all company workers enrolled on a voluntary basis. Each worker was tested for viral RNA using nasopharyngeal swab and for IgM and IgG antibodies by drawing venous or capillary blood, according to the availability of tests at that difficult period.Results:Swab-positive workers were 0.3%, and subjects with positive serological tests were 1.6% of the total workers examined.Discussion:The diagnostic test is based on the search for viral RNA through nasopharyngeal swab. To evaluate the immunological status of workers the CLIA or Elisa quantitative serological test should be preferred. Measures to contain the virus spreading at the workplace seem to be effective, as working settings do not entail any additional risk of SarsCov-2 infection.

Support for balancing cancer treatment and work by occupational health nurses: support structures and implementation status.

This study aimed to quantitatively grasp the structure of support for balancing cancer treatment and work among occupational health nurses (OHNs) with the current implementation status. The anonymous questionnaire was designed based on the findings of our previous qualitative study and distributed to OHNs. The degrees of support implementation for workers with cancer, superiors and colleagues, and human resource managers were assessed for each item. Factor analysis of support items was conducted, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test was carried out to compare the support scores between the factors. Support for workers with cancer comprised six factors in which the factor, concerning the provision of information regarding resources inside and outside the company, showed the lowest score. Support for superiors and colleagues was divided into three factors, and that for human resource managers comprised two factors. By Mann-Whitney’s U-test, it was found that OHNs, who worked without full-time occupational health physicians for smaller companies, showed significantly higher implementation for several support factors, such as support to human resource managers. This study revealed the structure as well as implementation status of OHNs’ support for balancing cancer treatment and work, which will provide suggestions for developing training programs for OHNs to promote these activities.

Factors Complicating Discharge to Home following Total Knee Arthroplasty-A Single Institution Initiative.

Recently, with the Medicare bundled payments initiative for total knee arthroplasty (TKA), there has been a move by many institutions to further streamline costs associated with the entire operative and perioperative process. One of these cost-saving strategies has been to favor discharging patients to home with outpatient services as opposed to discharging to the relatively more expensive rehabilitation facilities. Our aim was to determine the success of a teaching institute's initiative in discharging patients to home instead of a rehabilitation facility. Specifically, we evaluated if there were differences in discharge disposition based off of (1) surgeon/patient preference, (2) length of stay, (3) demographics, and (4) postoperative complications. A retrospective review of all patients who had a TKA from 2015 to 2017 at a single teaching institution was performed and assessed discharge to home or to a rehabilitation facility. If they were not discharged to home, we evaluated why that did not happen, stratified the reason they were discharged to a rehabilitation facility into four groups based on (1) physician and occupational health team assessment, (2) patient preference, (3) physician preference, and (4) family or caretaker preference. A total of 229 patients were enrolled in this initiative, with 107 patients (47%) discharged to home with outpatient physical therapy services and 122 (53%) discharged to a rehabilitation facility. Of these, 35 patients (29%) went to these facilities because of physician and occupational health team assessment. However, 31 (25%) patients were due to patient preference, 32 (26%) were because of surgeon's preference, and 24 (20%) were not discharged to home because of family or caretaker preference. There were no differences in length of stay, gender, or complication rates between cohorts. Many patients can be safely discharged to home following TKA at a community teaching institution; however, there continues to be a strong prejudice by patients, physicians, and caretakers to be discharged to a rehabilitation facility despite the home discharge initiative.

Support for both medical treatment and work∼Perspective of an occupational health physician ∼

Abstract There are approximately 100 thousand registered occupational health physicians certified by the Japanese Medical Association, and 31% of physicians have an occupational health qualification. Moreover, among the physicians registered, about 60% are practicing occupational medicine, and 55% of physicians who work in occupational health spend under 10% of their working hours practicing it. Furthermore, there are only 1,128 physicians whose primary work is in occupational health. In order to provide sufficient support to patients for both medical treatment and work, the number of people working in occupational health must increase, and not only some doctors, but all physician and part-time occupational health physicians have to focus on support for it. Medicine and nursing are not the only elements that need to be in place to provide support for both medical treatment and work; knowledge about psychological assessment, labor and career management, and the social security system is also invaluable. In other words, there is also a need for participation from and cooperation between people from a variety of fields in addition to medicine, such as welfare, labor and social security attorneys, as well as the government. While cancer patients are receiving treatment, they also need to solve problems related to work and finances. Patients are likely to be experiencing many things for the first time, including taking time off from work. Having to visit many different offices while they are unwell is a major burden. Hence, it is important to divide things up so that consultation offices such as cancer consultation and support centers can synthesize content for consultation from the outset and address issues. The role of these centers will become even more important moving forward. We would like to cover the above information along with actual examples and discuss expectations from relevant personnel and departments from the perspective of occupational health physicians.

Work Rehabilitation and Medical Retirement for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients. A Review and Appraisal of Diagnostic Strategies.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome leads to severe functional impairment and work disability in a considerable number of patients. The majority of patients who manage to continue or return to work, work part-time instead of full time in a physically less demanding job. The prognosis in terms of returning to work is poor if patients have been on long-term sick leave for more than two to three years. Being older and more ill when falling ill are associated with a worse employment outcome. Cognitive behavioural therapy and graded exercise therapy do not restore the ability to work. Consequently, many patients will eventually be medically retired depending on the requirements of the retirement policy, the progress that has been made since they have fallen ill in combination with the severity of their impairments compared to the sort of work they do or are offered to do. However, there is one thing that occupational health physicians and other doctors can do to try and prevent chronic and severe incapacity in the absence of effective treatments. Patients who are given a period of enforced rest from the onset, have the best prognosis. Moreover, those who work or go back to work should not be forced to do more than they can to try and prevent relapses, long-term sick leave and medical retirement.

Trends in Uterine Cervical Cancer Screening at Physical Health Checkups for Company Employees in Japan.

The consultation rate for uterine cervical cancer screening in Japan is markedly low in comparison with other developed countries. The purpose of this study is to investigate the trends in uterine cervical cancer screening during regular company checkups and to identify potential problems. Questionnaires were sent to occupational health physicians through Sansuiken (Alumni Association of the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan). Overall, 127 valid responses showed that Papanicolaou (Pap) tests are conducted in 100 companies (79%). The detailed information from 50 of the 100 responses was analyzed. Mandatory cervical cancer screenings are performed at just 6 companies (12%). Pap test are started at 30 years of age at 9 of 49 companies, and only 18 of 49 companies (37%) start Pap tests for employees at 20 years old. Of the 86,695 women, 31,294 (36%) received cervical cancer screening. Abnormal Pap test results were detected in 3.0%. Although cervical cancer screening rates have slightly increased compared to our previous studies (17% in 2004, 23% in 2008), it remains at a low level. Complete examinations with colposcopy and punch biopsy were carried out in 70% (61 of 87 women) of those with an abnormal Pap test. Twelve of 26 companies had no information about detailed examination results. It is important to note that cervical cancer incidence and mortality are increasing among young women in Japan. Occupational physicians and health nurses should manage female health education and care at the workplace, by including uterine cervical cancer screening in the growing female working population.

Books: Sick-Note Britain: How Social Problems Became Medical Issues: Rising Levels of Sickness are a Social Phenomenon.

Adrian Massey C Hurst & Co. Publishers Ltd , 2019 , HB, 272 pp, £20.00 , 978-1787381223 Over 10 million sick-notes per annum may comprise as much as 10% of our workload. According to Adrian Massey, an experienced occupational health physician, most of this is an anachronistic charade. If 300 pages on sickness certification fill you with trepidation, persevere. This thought-provoking polemic is both erudite and wickedly entertaining. Massey early on acknowledges a debt to the greatest of medicine’s iconoclasts. Ivan Illich coined the term ‘cultural iatrogenesis’ for the destruction of traditional ways of dealing with, and making sense of, death, suffering, and sickness.1 The medicalisation of everyday life proceeds apace. We the shamans continue to take confession and confer absolution. Meanwhile, the public retains a credulous belief in medical omnipotence and continues …

Prevalence of back pain in employees of a German chemical company: results of a large cross-sectional study

BackgroundWith the current study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of back pain in employees of a German chemical company. We put a specific focus on disabling back pain and its association with sociodemographic, lifestyle- and work-related characteristics.MethodsWe used cross-sectional data, surveyed in health check-ups between 2011 and 2014 in Ludwigshafen am Rhein (Germany). A blood sample, physical examination and anamnesis by an occupational health physician as well as a written questionnaire were part of the check-up. A modified version of the Standardised Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was utilized to survey the back-pain specific information. Disabling back pain was defined as presence of any back pain in the past 12 months which prevented employees from carrying out their usual working tasks. We used multinomial logistic regression analysis to assess the association between (categorical) duration of disabling back pain and sociodemographic, lifestyle-, and work-related characteristics.ResultsOverall, 17,351 employees participated in the health check-up, information on 16,792 persons could be used for analyses. Participants were on average 43.7 (SD: 9.7) years old and mainly male (79.1%). Lifetime-, 12-months-, and 7-days-prevalence of any type and duration of back pain were 72.5, 66.1, and 27.1% respectively. About one third (33.5%) had suffered from an episode of disabling back pain, 16.7% 1–7 days, 10.3% 8–30 days, and 6.5% more than 30 days. Multinomial regression analysis yielded that 8–30 days or more than 30 days of disabling back pain (relative to 0 days) were more likely with older age, female gender, being married, former or current smoking, lower occupational status, higher work-related stress score, history of a spinal injury, and diagnosed dorsopathy.ConclusionsThere is a great need for action regarding multifaceted preventive measures and early interventions, especially for manual workers, older employees and women, where occupational medicine can play a decisive role.

Tuberculosis Screening, Testing, and Treatment of U.S. Healthcare Workers

Sponsoring Organization: The CDC and the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association (NTCA)Target Audience: Occupational health physicians,

Managing common mental health disorders in healthcare workers.

Approximately a quarter of sickness absence in the UK National Health Service (NHS) is attributed to common mental health disorders (CMHDs). This is costly to the NHS and impacts on patient care and staff morale. Little is known about the occupational health (OH) management of NHS staff who take sick leave for CMHDs. To explore the current OH management of NHS staff on sick leave for CMHDs. We invited providers of NHS OH services identified from the NHS Health at Work Network and Commercial OH Providers Association to complete a survey on the management of employees off work because of CMHDs. Analysis involved descriptive statistics and content analysis. Forty-nine (39%) of the 126 OH departments approached responded. The majority (98%) had an organizational sickness absence policy that included triggers for referral for staff absent with CMHDs. In 63%, referral occurred 8-28 days after the onset of absence; in 92%, the consultation was completed by an OH nurse or OH physician. Content of the first consultation often included assessment of symptoms and medication for CMHDs. Case management and regular reviews were least commonly used despite evidence on their effectiveness in supporting return to work. All providers offered some support for managers of staff with CMHDs. Variation existed between providers of NHS OH services in the timing of referrals, use of case management and regular reviews for staff with CMHDs. Our findings suggest that current evidence-based guidance on interventions to improve return to work is not being implemented consistently.

Teknologian hyödyntäminen ja etäpalvelut työterveyshuollossa - ammattilaisten näkökulma

Teknologian hyödyntäminen ja etäpalvelut yleistyvät työterveyshuollossa, kun teknologia integroituu yhä keskeisemmin terveydenhuollon organisaatioiden käyttöön ja työprosesseihin. Tähän asti etäterveydenhuoltoa koskeva tutkimus on kohdistunut pääasiassa muuhun kuin työterveyshuoltoon. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää työterveyslääkäreiden, -työterveyshoitajien, työfysioterapeuttien ja työterveyspsykologien kokemuksia teknologian hyödyntämisestä ja etäpalveluiden käytöstä omassa työssään. Kysely toteutettiin helmi-maaliskuussa 2018. Tutkimusaineisto koostui kyselyn avointen kysymysten vastauksista. Analyysimenetelmänä käytettiin aineistolähtöistä teemoittelua.
 Tulokset osoittavat, että asenteet teknologian hyödyntämiseen ja etäpalveluihin ovat kyselyyn vastanneissa ammattiryhmissä valtaosin myönteisiä. Myönteiset kokemukset liittyvät erityisesti työn sujuvuuden paranemiseen. Tiedonvälityksen tehostuminen sekä palvelun saatavuuden parantuminen koetaan myös myönteisenä. Teknologian hyödyntämisen ja etäpalvelun myötä tapahtuvat ammattilaisten työnkuvan muutokset koetaan ristiriitaisena. Toisaalta työnkuvan nähdään rikastuvan ja toisaalta sirpaloituvan. Kasvotusten kohtaamisten vähentyminen sekä teknologian käyttöön liittyvät ongelmat koetaan kielteisinä. Kielteisenä koetaan myös sekä asiakkaiden että ammattilaisten osin riittämättömät valmiudet ja osaaminen teknologian käytössä. Ammattilaisten oppimistarpeiden osalta on tunnistettavissa kaksi ääripäätä. Osa on ottanut työssään teknologiaa käyttöön hyvin rajoitetusti tai ei vielä lainkaan ja heillä on siten runsaasti oppimistarpeita, ja osa vastaajista sen sijaan toivoo lähinnä päivitystä uusimpaan teknologiaan ja sovelluksiin.
 Teknologian hyödyntäminen ja etäpalvelut avaavat mahdollisuuksia uudistaa työterveyshuollon toimintatapoja siten, että ne voivat vastata asiakastyöpaikan tarpeisiin entistä laadukkaammin ja nopeammin. Tutkimuksen tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää toimintatapojen kehittämiseen.