Accompanied consultations in occupational health

Area of Science:

• Occupational Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Accompanied consultations are frequently perceived as challenging by occupational physicians.
• Limited research exists on accompanied consultations within the occupational health setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To gather data on accompanied consultations.
• To assess the impact of companions on occupational health consultations.

Main Methods:

• Data collected over 16 months from two occupational physicians in a private sector service.
• 108 accompanied consultations were matched with non-accompanied consultations for comparison.

Main Results:

• Accompanied consultations were linked to ill health retirement, complex diagnoses, and longer durations (P < 0.01).
• Companions (54% spouses/partners) impacted 81% of consultations, often by providing information (56%).
• Over a quarter of companion impacts were deemed helpful, with only 6% of consultations noting difficulties.

Conclusions:

• Accompanied consultations present greater challenges regarding referral reasons, medical issues, case complexity, and duration.
• Companions are more likely to be beneficial than detrimental.
• Occupational health practitioners require enhanced understanding and management strategies for accompanied consultations.