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Larrosa M, Bulat P, Majery N, Gehanno JF, Păuncu EA, Bastiaanssen M, Godderis L, Iguacel I, Popescu FG, Jungewelter S, Braeckman L, Martínez-Jarreta B. Undergraduate occupational medicine education in European Medical Schools: better training to meet today's challenges. BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION 2024; 24:846. [PMID: 39107747 PMCID: PMC11304825 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-05809-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Occupational medicine (OM) faces considerable challenges today, one of them related to the university training of future physicians considered suboptimal at a global level as it has been pointed out in many studies. The aim of this study is to update the state of OM medical education in European universities. METHODS Between March and August 2022, an e-mail survey regarding OM training to undergraduate medical students was conducted among OM professors at European universities in 28 countries (n = 347). RESULTS Of the 347 universities, 53 medical schools from 19 countries responded (response rate = 15.3%). In 89% of cases, OM was taught. The average number of hours per academic year was 24.3, with significant variation within the same country. Lectures were the most popular teaching technique (98%), with a considerable use of modern approaches such as problem-based learning (61%), and e-learning (57%). While occupational diseases and principles of prevention were covered, other subjects such as the environmental impact or collaboration with an OM physician were poorly represented in the educational program. CONCLUSION According to data, several European medical schools may provide insufficient OM education and training to their students. The education of undergraduate occupational medicine students in European medical schools should be designed to equip them with the knowledge and skills required to meet today's challenges. It is critical that undergraduate OM education in European medical schools be enhanced, harmonized, and standardized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Larrosa
- Internal Medicine Department, University Hospital Lozano Blesa, Zaragoza, 50009, Spain
- Scientific Research Group GIIS-063 (IIS-Aragón), Zaragoza, 50009, Spain
| | - Petar Bulat
- Department of Occupational Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia
| | - Nicole Majery
- Service du Santé au Travail, Multisectoriel (STM), Luxembourg, 1630, Luxembourg
| | | | - Elena-Ana Păuncu
- Discipline of Occupational Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", Timisoara, 300041, Romania
| | - Marjolein Bastiaanssen
- Radboud universitair medisch centrum, Postbus 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen (149), The Netherlands
| | - Lode Godderis
- Centre for Environment and Health, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
| | - Isabel Iguacel
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, 50009, Spain.
| | - Florina Georgeta Popescu
- Discipline of Occupational Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Victor Babes", Timisoara, 300041, Romania
| | - Soile Jungewelter
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), Helsinki, FI-00250, Finland
| | - Lutgart Braeckman
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gent, Gent, Belgium
| | - Begoña Martínez-Jarreta
- Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zaragoza and Scientific Research Group GIIS-063 (IIS-Aragón), Zaragoza, 50009, Spain
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Bijlsma N, Cohen MM. Environmental Chemical Assessment in Clinical Practice: Unveiling the Elephant in the Room. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2016; 13:181. [PMID: 26848668 PMCID: PMC4772201 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13020181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Revised: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests chemicals present in air, water, soil, food, building materials and household products are toxicants that contribute to the many chronic diseases typically seen in routine medical practice. Yet, despite calls from numerous organisations to provide clinicians with more training and awareness in environmental health, there are multiple barriers to the clinical assessment of toxic environmental exposures. Recent developments in the fields of systems biology, innovative breakthroughs in biomedical research encompassing the "-omics" fields, and advances in mobile sensing, peer-to-peer networks and big data, provide tools that future clinicians can use to assess environmental chemical exposures in their patients. There is also a need for concerted action at all levels, including actions by individual patients, clinicians, medical educators, regulators, government and non-government organisations, corporations and the wider civil society, to understand the "exposome" and minimise the extent of toxic exposures on current and future generations. Clinical environmental chemical risk assessment may provide a bridge between multiple disciplines that uses new technologies to herald in a new era in personalised medicine that unites clinicians, patients and civil society in the quest to understand and master the links between the environment and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Bijlsma
- School of Health Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia.
| | - Marc M Cohen
- School of Health Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia.
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Bhardwaj M, Arteta M, Batmunkh T, Briceno Leonardo L, Caraballo Y, Carvalho D, Dan W, Erdogan S, Brborovic H, Gudrun K, Ilse U, Ingle GK, Joshi SK, Kishore J, Khan Z, Retneswari M, Menses C, Moraga D, Njan A, Okonkwo FO, Ozlem K, Ravichandran S, Rosales J, Rybacki M, Sainnyambuu M, Shathanapriya K, Radon K. Attitude of medical students towards occupational safety and health: a multi-national study. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE 2015; 6:7-19. [PMID: 25588221 PMCID: PMC6977061 DOI: 10.15171/ijoem.2015.488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Accepted: 09/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Work-related diseases contribute immensely to the global burden of diseases. Better understanding of attitudes of health care workers towards occupational safety and health (OSH) is important for planning. OBJECTIVE To assess the attitude of medical students towards OSH around the globe. METHODS A questionnaire assessing the attitude towards OSH was administered to medical and paramedical students of 21 Medical Universities across the globe. In the current study 1895 students, aged 18-36 years, from 17 countries were included. After having performed a principal components analysis, the associations of interest between the identified components and other socio demographic characteristics were assessed by multivariate linear regression. RESULTS Principal component analysis revealed 3 components. Students from lower and lower-middle-income countries had a more positive attitude towards OSH, but the importance of OSH was still rated higher by students from upper-income countries. Although students from Asian and African continents showed high interest for OSH, European and South-Central American students comparatively rated importance of OSH to be higher. Paramedical students had more positive attitude towards OSH than medical students. CONCLUSION The attitude of students from lower-income and lower-middle-income towards importance of OSH is negative. This attitude could be changed by recommending modifications to OSH courses that reflect the importance of OSH. Since paramedical students showed more interest in OSH than medical students, modifications in existing health care system with major role of paramedics in OSH service delivery is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Bhardwaj
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
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The challenge of teaching occupational medicine to medical students: the Université de Montréal experience. J Occup Environ Med 2012; 53:1258-61. [PMID: 22015546 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0b013e31822cfd4f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Nonrecognition and mismanagement of work-related diseases is often linked to inadequate medical training. However, undergraduate training in occupational medicine faces many challenges, including lack of student interest and limited curriculum time. The purpose of this article is to present an undergraduate training program developed in one medical school to ensure that all medical students acquire the basic knowledge to recognize work-related health conditions and understand the fundamental principles of workers' comprehensive care. The program involves various learning methods including case studies, small-group learning, interactive large-group teaching, field activities, and e-learning. It has resulted in improving students' attitudes and competencies in occupational medicine and requires little curriculum time.
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Russ P, Strümpell S, Carvalho D, Zander S, Smits P, Nowak D, Radon K. Compulsory teaching of occupational health: impact on attitude of medical students in Brazil and Germany. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2011; 85:81-7. [DOI: 10.1007/s00420-011-0639-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2010] [Accepted: 04/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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