A short review of undergraduate occupational medicine training

Abstract

Background Medical schools worldwide allocate little time and utilize varying formats in the teaching of occupational medicine (OM) to undergraduate medical students. Aims To identify undergraduate OM teaching formats and highlight key findings in these different methods. Methods A limited literature search conducted on PubMed and Scopus identified relevant articles published in English and between the years 2009 and 2018. Our inclusion criteria were papers containing the key words (‘occupational medicine’ AND (‘medical students’ OR ‘undergraduate medical’)) OR (‘occupational medicine’ AND (‘training’ OR ‘education’ OR ‘teaching’)) in the title or abstract and those that specifically discussed OM education. Results The literature search yielded 1479 papers. Seven of them fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were reviewed in full. Formats in OM education of undergraduate medical students include, either singly or in combination, the use of case studies, didactic sessions, workplace visits, text-based readings and pro forma. Conclusions OM education has a very small footprint in most undergraduate medical curricula. The studies show that different teaching formats are utilized, often in combination. Case-based discussions and workplace visits are frequently used with good qualitative results. Text-based readings will serve well to build good foundational knowledge, though there is no conclusive evidence that students will perform better.

Physicians' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice of Occupational Diseases Diagnosis and Occupational History Taking

“…This, in turn, significantly increased the likelihood of accurately detecting and diagnosing occupational diseases. 12,33,34,37 The Importance of Undergraduate/Postgraduate Medical Education in Occupational Medicine…”

“…Whereas most schools include occupational diseases and preventative principles, only 58% of programs teach the principles of taking an occupational history. 8,12,29,[37][38][39] In Egypt, a university study pointed out that the occupational health curriculum has a minor presence and a limited time for teaching; it is mainly based on theoretical lectures with limited practical sessions, and there is no integration with other branches of medicine. 30 Therefore, previous research and experiences examined the effect of incorporating a structured occupational medicine course into medical curricula using different teaching formats.…”

Occupational COPD—The most under‐recognized occupational lung disease?

“…General practitioners consider their training in occupational medicine to be inadequate 25 . In fact, occupational medicine education has a very small footprint in most undergraduate medical curricula 118 . Among postgraduate education, in the United States, only 68.2% of family medicine residency programmes offered specific training in occupational medicine, usually included in the community medicine rotation 119 .…”

“…25 In fact, occupational medicine education has a very small footprint in most undergraduate medical curricula. 118 Among postgraduate education, in the United States, only 68.2% of family medicine residency programmes offered specific training in occupational medicine, usually included in the community medicine rotation. 119 In addition to official educational channels, several government or non-government agencies offer webpages or quick reference guides for health professionals, focused on occupational COPD causes and management (e.g., https://www.hse.gov.uk/copd/causes.htm; https://www.…”

Knowledge of and attitudes to occupational and sports medicine among medical students in Zagreb, Croatia

“…The importance of teaching OSM to medical students arises from the significant contribution of occupational and work-related diseases and injuries to the global burden of diseases and from high death rates, which account for about two million a year worldwide ( 15 , 16 ). Yet, in spite of its relevance, OSM education is poorly represented in undergraduate medical curricula ( 17 ) through mandatory ( 18 ) or elective ( 19 ) courses, even though occupational disorders are likely to be encountered by non-occupational physicians first ( 15 ).…”