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The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health B Reader Certification Program-An Update Report (1987 to
Cara N Halldin1, Janet M Hale, David N Weissman
1Respiratory Health Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Dr Halldin, Ms Hale, Dr Weissman, Dr Attfield, Dr Petsonk, Dr Cohen, Mr Markle, Dr Blackley, Ms Wolfe, Dr Tallaksen, Dr Laney); Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois (Dr Cohen); Departments of Radiology, Medical Education, and Internal Medicine, School of Medicine (Dr Parker, Dr Petsonk, Dr Tallaksen), West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) B Reader Program shows declining physician participation since the 1990s. NIOSH is modernizing the program to increase training and testing opportunities for B Readers.
Area of Science:
- Occupational health
- Radiology
- Public health surveillance
Background:
- The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) B Reader Program certifies physicians in the International Labour Office (ILO) system for classifying pneumoconioses radiographs.
- This program is crucial for accurate diagnosis and monitoring of occupational lung diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in participation, examinee demographics, and performance within the NIOSH B Reader Program from 1987 to 2018.
- To identify changes in the B Reader population over time.
Main Methods:
- Utilized NIOSH's maintained records of examinees and examinations from 1987 to 2018.
- Employed simple linear regression for trend analysis of passing rates.
Main Results:
- The mean passing rate for initial certification was 40.4%, while recertification was 82.6%.
- A decline in the number of B Readers has been observed since the mid-1990s.
- The mean age and years of certification for B Readers have increased.
Conclusions:
- The B Reader population is declining, with participants aging and having longer certification periods.
- NIOSH is implementing program modernization initiatives, including enhanced training and testing, to address this trend.