Taking an Occupational History

Details

• Personal Author:
  Goldman RH ; Levy BS
• Description:
  Recognition of occupational diseases and injuries depends on obtaining an occupational history. An occupational history is taken in the context of a complete medical history, which includes a description of the patient's chief complaint and other current medical problems, past medical history, review of systems, family history, residential history, current medications, and personal habits, including use of tobacco products, alcohol, and recreational drugs, as well as hobbies and other non-occupational activities. The minimal components of a screening occupational history could include attention to the chief complaint (or diagnosis) for clues suggesting a relationship to activities at work or at home; a list of current and longest held jobs; a current job description; and questions about symptoms during or after exposures to fumes, dusts, chemicals, loud noise, radiation, or musculoskeletal stresses. Findings from the clinical encounter may prompt the clinician to take a more thorough occupational history. Such triggers could include a suggestive temporal relationship between an exposure and symptoms, a "sentinel health event" or diagnosis that has been strongly linked to exposures, such as pulmonary tuberculosis, asthma, contact dermatitis, bladder cancer, peripheral neuropathy, or pulmonary fibrosis; the occurrence of an illness in an unexpected person, such as lung cancer in a non-smoker; and symptoms without any other clear etiology or diagnosis. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Alcoholic Beverages Behavior Diagnosis Dust Environmental Exposure Fibrosis Lung Lung Diseases Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Neoplasms Noise Occupational Health Radiation Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Tobacco Products

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• Keywords:
  Alcohol Cancer Chemicals Diagnostic Tests Diseases Drugs Dust Exposure Dusts Etiology Exposure Levels Fumes Injuries Lung Cancer Medical Examinations Medical Records Medical Screening Medical Treatment Medicinal Chemicals MSD Musculoskeletal System Musculoskeletal System Disorders Neuropathy Pulmonary System Pulmonary System Disorders Respiratory System Disorders Risk Factors Stress Tobacco

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• ISBN:
  9780875530437
• Publisher:
  American Public Health Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Book
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20060477
• Citation:
  Preventing occupational disease and injury, second edition. Levy BS, Wagner GR, Rest KM, Weeks JL. eds. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 2005 Jan; :527-535
• Editor(s):
  Levy BS; Wagner GR; Rest KM; Weeks JL.
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2005
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20030701
• Source Full Name:
  Preventing occupational disease and injury, second edition
• End Date:
  20050630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:2ddc9fd9084ac69ef57abadea07c5d1ed0bd1905c7221a6e004a8733d59deb85b984f956023d1497fcc0dea69a274b8eff2cba3c6452fca6405976ec3442c7c8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/224354/cdc_224354_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.59 MB ]