The activity on a Norwegian Occupational Health mailing list 1997-2006

Professional mailing lists on the Internet have become a popular medium for communication in the medical field. There are few descriptions of the scientific activity on these mailing lists and none concerning occupational health have been found.

To describe the activity of an occupational health electronic mailing list in Norway between 1997 and 2006.

All messages sent to the Norwegian Occupational Health mailing list from 1997 to 2006 were studied, counting numbers, members and type of topic discussed. The job titles of contributors in 2006 were identified and all messages in a 3-month period in 2006 were analysed in more detail.

A total of 5269 messages were posted to the list. The number of members was 200 at the start of 1997, later rising to between 450 and 500, including doctors, physiotherapists, occupational hygienists and nurses. The main topics discussed were chemical hazards (19%), organization of occupational health services (17%), working methods in health and safety in general (10%) and ergonomics (8%). Most messages were questions and answers and they seldom led to discussion.

The activity shows the need for electronic mailing communication in occupational health services. A broad range of topics was covered and most professional disciplines in occupational health services were represented. The quality of the content and usefulness of the discussions need further investigation.