Quality and effectiveness of occupational health service evaluated by the providers

In a debate on the desired occupational health service in The Netherlands all parties involved seemed to be rather unsatisfied with current practice. Therefore a study was set out on the quality of the service to 51 client organizations as seen by the parties involved. In the first phase the viewpoint of the occupational health teams was studied; the second phase among clients was planned later. As it was not feasible to use proper measures of effectiveness, i.e. of outcome in terms of health, the interview was used as method directed at the evaluations of the teams themselves. It focused on the adequacy of the activities of the teams in view of the health problems and risks in the client organization and on the necessary interaction with the clients in order to reach effective service. Although a self-evaluation-method like this has its limitations, results are relevant for the debate on the quality of OHS in The Netherlands. Many occupational health teams want more capacity for preventive activities and to devote more time to these activities to enhance the quality of their service and be more effective. It is argued that for the same purpose the teams themselves should strive for good relations with their clients.