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Feasibility of a provincial voluntary reporting system for work-related asthma in Ontario
Teresa To1, Susan M Tarlo, Susan McLimont
1The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. teresa.to@sickkids.ca
Objective:
The Ontario Work-Related Asthma Surveillance System: Physician Reporting (OWRAS) Network was established in 2007 to estimate the prevalence of work-related asthma (WRA) in Ontario, and to test the feasibility of collecting data for cases of WRA from physicians voluntarily.
Methods:
More than 300 respirologists, occupational medicine physicians, allergists and primary care providers in Ontario were invited to participate in monthly reporting of WRA cases by telephone, postal service or e-mail.
Results:
Since 2007, 49 physicians have registered with the OWRAS Network and, to date, have reported 34 cases of occupational asthma and 49 cases of work-exacerbated asthma. Highly reactive chemicals were the most frequently reported suspected causative agent of the 108 suspected exposures reported.
Conclusion:
Despite the challenge of enlisting a representative sample of physicians in Ontario willing to report, the OWRAS Network has shown that it is feasible to implement a voluntary reporting system for WRA; however, its long-term sustainability is currently unknown.
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