Current Challenges and Perceived Future Priorities in Occupational Medicine: Perspectives From Occupational Health...

Area of Science:

• Occupational Medicine
• Public Health
• Medical Education

Background:

• Modern advancements necessitate updating occupational medicine curricula and standards.
• Improving worker health and reducing occupational illnesses are key goals.
• This study identifies current challenges in Iran's occupational medicine sector.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and prioritize challenges in occupational medicine in Iran.
• To inform necessary updates in educational standards and practices.
• To enhance the quality of occupational health services for workers.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study using the Delphi method with 20 and 14 occupational medicine specialists in successive phases.
• Expert responses to general questions were used to create a Likert-scale questionnaire.
• Expert comments were reviewed, scored, and prioritized.

Main Results:

• 79 challenges were identified, with top priorities including limitations in specialist prescribing and paraclinical testing under insurance.
• Key issues include the absence of specialized occupational health committees and a lack of return-to-work examinations.
• The limited role of occupational health specialists in policy-making and service provision was highlighted.

Conclusions:

• Revising outdated regulations to address modern workplace risks (e.g., mental health, remote work) is crucial.
• Strict enforcement mechanisms are needed alongside regulatory updates.
• Integrating functional capacity evaluation training into medical education can enhance specialization and productivity.