Occupational and environmental medicine and the occupational health psychology interface.

Abstract

Occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) is a clinical branch of medicine dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of injuries and illnesses resulting from exposures to hazards in the workplace. In the United States, OEM physicians provide much of their medical care through the workers' compensation insurance system. The OEM physician essentially works as the primary care physician limited to that portion of patient care related to work injury or illness. In addition to direct clinical care of workers, the OEM physician is trained to serve as a consultant, helping employers prevent occupational injuries and illnesses and promote health and well-being. Physicians receive training in public health and receive OEM board certification as one of the preventive medicine specialties. The spectrum of research conducted in OEM is vast, including epidemiology, hazardous exposure-related health effects, medical surveillance, substance use disorder treatment, injury prevention, health promotion, Total Worker Health ® , clinical trials, observational studies, and intervention science, among other fields.With growing numbers of workers, an aging workforce, and an increasing prevalence of chronic health conditions among workers, OEM physicians have begun to broaden their scope to address how personal health conditions contribute to work-related injuries and delayed recovery and affect a worker's ability to return to work. Reciprocally, researchers increasingly address how