The Survey of Health Examination using Similar Exposure Group to Occupational Health Professionals

This study aims to survey of the health examination for occupational disease using similar exposure group(SEG).

We surveyed industrial hygienists and occupational physicians about the health screening using SEG. We randomly sampled 100 industrial hygienists and 100 occupational physicians from the membership lists. We collected the heneral characteristics and professional opinion of health examination for occupational disease screening using SEG. The self-reported questionnaires were collected by mail from July 1st to July 20th in 1999.

Seventy three percent of respondents answered they knew the concepts of SEG. Occupational hygienists were more likely to know the SEG than occupational physician, but it was not statistically significant. Both of occupational hygienists and physicians pointed out that "Improvement of hazardous exposure monitoring" should be on the first assumption for development of health examination using SEG. The second assumption would be "Advance of toxicologic knowledge". And next was "Improvement of appraisal for health effect" from occupational physician, but "Administrative will to reform" from occupational hygienist.

It is desirable to health examination based on SEG rather than on individual hazardous exposure. For this approach, we have to improve the monitoring of hazardous exposure first.