[Occupational health: which place for the primary care physician?]

Primary care physicians are among the specialists who most often have to deal with work-related health problems. Musculoskeletal (including the spine and limbs) and psychological problems are the most frequently encountered work-related diseases. In that context, it is essential for the primary care physician to identify the link between a disease and the occupational environment of the patient, in order to deliver appropriate care. This article deals with two clinical cases to illustrate the semiology and therapeutic aspects of burnout, and musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limb, respectively. It gives some clues to the primary care physician, about how to guide his practice in a multimodal way, oriented toward the patient himself, but also toward his occupational environment.