Quality of prevention - Effectiveness and efficiency of prevention services offered by the German institutions for accident insurance and prevention - subproject 9: Occupational medical attendance

Status:

completed 08/2009

Aims:

The subproject No. 9 of the project "Quality of Prevention" of the German Social Accident Insurance has examined the quality and effectiveness of occupational medical and safety attendance. Another essential aim was the development of indicators which allow the verification of this quality. The statutory accident insurance of construction industries (BG BAU), statutory accident insurance of natural stone (StBG) und the Arbeitsmedizinischer und Sicherheitstechnischer Dienst Rhein-Ruhr GmbH have taken part in the study.

Activities/Methods:

Altogether 165 company doctors, 185 specialists for occupational health and safety, 786 employees and 494 employers were questioned in writing in the period from August 2005 until August 2009. The study is cross-sectional with independent samples at different points in time. The special value of the study is the explicit consideration of the prospects of the four questioned partial samples and its perception of the occupational medical and safety attendance. Based on the imposed data an indicator system for the recording of quality and effectiveness was derived for every partial sample.

Results:

With respect to several aspects of the BGV A2, which is regulating the occupational medical and safety attendance, differentiated statements are only restrictedly possible because of some special conditions in the course of the study. Apart from that one can conclude, that the occupational medical and safety attendance is effective in the majority of the questioned enterprises, is realized well and judged positively. This statistical statement is correct for enterprises which are utilizing the occupational medical and safety attendance. For instance the quality and frequency of the cooperation between company doctors and specialists for occupational health and safety a factor which is promoting quality of the occupational medical and safety attendance as well as a good knowledge about the concrete conditions in the companies. These factors could become effective only if the offered services are known to and requested actively by the companies. The more occasions for occupational medical and safety attendance the employers know, the more, the rather they meet their liabilities. It becomes apparent, that the fundamental standpoint of employers, employees, company doctors and specialists for occupational health is the most important factor with respect to the realization of occupational health and safety. As the study points out, the motivation arising from it has presumably a decisive influence on effectiveness and quality of occupational medical and safety attendance. The developed indicator models correspondingly takes into account the subjective perception of the occupational medical and safety attendance by all involved partial samples.

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