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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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Guimarães RM, Muzi CD, Meira KC, Dos Santos RD, Saraiva MM, Rohlfs DB. Occupational exposure to carcinogens in Brazil: An approach. ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 2021; 76:414-423. [PMID: 33750273 DOI: 10.1080/19338244.2021.1900044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This study aims to estimate the prevalence of the primary occupational exposures, considered risk factors for Cancer in Brazil. We elaborated two exposure scenarios considering the agents' classification and the intensity of exposure, stratified by Brazilian regions and sex. Two pairs of specialists performed the classification of economic activities and occupations due to exposure. There was an excellent overall agreement (94%) and acceptable overall reliability (kappa 0.92, 95% CI 0.89-0.95). There is a notable difference (595%) in occupational exposure between the north (with a higher concentration of rural areas and extractivism) and southeast (with a higher level of industrial activities). There is a difference in prevalence from 833% for solvents to 1170% for inorganic dust between the two scenarios. There is a heterogeneity of exposures according to location, sex, circumstance, and sensitiveness of classification.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Camila Drumond Muzi
- Brazilian National Institute of Cancer, Ministry of Health, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | | | - Magda Machado Saraiva
- Environmental and Occupational Health Department, Ministry of Health, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Daniela Buosi Rohlfs
- Environmental and Occupational Health Department, Ministry of Health, Brasilia, Brazil
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