Sources of information for occupational dermatology

It is a virtual certainty that the dermatologist will be called upon routinely to evaluate illness caused by occupational factors. Unfortunately, few are prepared adequately during formal training to care for the worker-patient. Reliance on crisis-oriented treatment(s) is frequently insufficient to manage this type of skin disease. One remedy for this problem is simply to read the literature; even limited acquaintance with the occupational health literature should begin to clarify the unique aspects of diagnosis and treatment. Consulting a single occupational dermatology reference will often lead to critical insights about an industrial setting, extracutaneous disease manifestations, toxicology, and preventive methods. Perhaps less obvious, this knowledge is essential to recognize and effectively support claims for workers' compensation, claims that may be the only means of redress for the tragic socioeconomic difficulties befalling those who are occupationally impaired. Bibliographic citations in this paper offer a stepwise approach to the literature and identify the important sources applicable to dermatology.