Work content of Norwegian occupational physicians

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Limited empirical data exists on the daily operations and time allocation within occupational health services.
• Understanding the practical application of occupational health services is crucial for evaluating their effectiveness and alignment with regulatory goals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To empirically investigate and categorize the work content of occupational physicians.
• To assess the proportion of time spent on preventive versus curative activities, including nonwork-related issues.
• To compare the observed activities with the intended preventive aims of occupational health services.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 50 Norwegian occupational physicians.
• Recording and classification of work activities over 249 workdays into nine distinct categories.
• Quantitative analysis of time allocation based on work content.

Main Results:

• Work environment matters constituted the largest portion of activities (40%), followed by nonwork-related activities (26%) and administration (18%).
• Preventive activities accounted for 36% of the work, while curative activities comprised 30%, with a significant 22% of total work dedicated to nonwork-related illnesses.
• Physicians allocated minimal time to employee education on work environment matters and new projects for maintaining standards, though occupational rehabilitation activities were deemed fair.

Conclusions:

• A substantial amount of time is spent on nonwork-related curative activities, potentially diverting focus from the primary preventive objectives of occupational health services.
• There is a need to re-evaluate the time allocation and focus of occupational health services to better align with their preventive mandate.
• Further research should explore strategies to enhance the efficiency and preventive impact of occupational health services.