[Rehabilitation after work related skin diseases]

The high incidence rates of occupational contact dermatitis, its poor prognosis, and the high social and economic impact of the disease for the affected individuals as well as for the medical insurance companies indicates a need to strive for the target of "rehabilitation instead of retirement". Here, we highlight the need and effectiveness of rehabilitation measures in individuals with work related skin diseases (mainly contact dermatitis and hand eczema). We discuss the measures for secondary individual prevention as well as tertiary prevention, which have been established in our department together with the state medical insurance companies, mainly the Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege (BWG: Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Service). The results of the multicentre study "Optimisation and Quality Assessment of Tertiary Prevention of Occupational Dermatoses" are presented and discussed. Both, the secondary as well as tertiary prevention measures have been successful, which has resulted in a decrease in the total annual rehabilitation costs to the BGW. A reason for this success story is the fact that in Germany these organisations are, in contrast to the health insurance companies, responsible for both acute treatment and the rehabilitation.