Abstract
Purpose
To identify the attitude of occupational health physicians toward evidence-based occupational health (EBOH) and clinical practice guidelines (CPGs); to determine their ability to access, retrieve and appraise the health evidence and the barriers to applying evidence to practice.
Methods
A cross-sectional survey study was carried out among all Dutch-speaking occupational health physicians in Belgium (584 physicians could be reached).
Results
A response rate of 25.5% was achieved. The majority of respondents were positive toward EBOH and CPGs. Most respondents were less confident in basic skills of EBM, except for their searching skills. Perceived barriers to applying evidence to practice were mainly time and lack of EBM skills.
Conclusions
Belgian occupational health physicians are interested in the implementation of EBOH in their daily occupational practice and have a general knowledge of EBM. However, there are barriers in the legislative framework, the education and the information infrastructure, which first have to be removed. The time has come for the responsible authorities to take educational initiatives and to take a huge leap forward in the integration of EBOH into occupational practice.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bero LA, Grilli R, Grimshaw JM, Harvey E, Oxman AD, Thomson MA (1998) Closing the gap between research and practice: an overview of systematic reviews of interventions to promote the implementation of research findings. BMJ 317:465–468
Birrell L, Beach J (2001) Developing evidence-based guidelines in occupational health. Occup Med (Lond) 51:73–74
Carter T (2000) The application of methods of evidence-based practice to occupational health. Occup Med (Lond) 50:231–236
Coomarasamy A, Khan KS (2004) What is the evidence that postgraduate teaching in evidence-based medicine changes anything? A systematic review. BMJ 329:1017–1021
D’Auria D (2001) Evidence-based occupational medicine: the good, the bad and the otherwise difficult. Editorial. Occup Med (Lond) 50:211
European Commission (1989) Council Directive 89/391/EEC of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work. Official Journal of the European Commission 183:1–8
Federale Overheidsdienst Werkgelegenheid, Arbeid en Sociaal Overleg (FOD WASO) (1996) Wet betreffende het welzijn van de werknemers tijdens de uitoefening van hun werk. Belgisch Staatsblad 18.09.1996
Franco G (2001) The future of occupational health practice: reconciling customer expectation and evidence-based practice. Editorial. Occup Med (Lond) 51:482–484
Godderis L, Vanhaecht K, Masschelein R, Sermeus W, Veulemans H (2004) Prevention pathways: application of the critical path methodology in occupational health services. J Occup Environ Med 46:39–47
Hugenholtz NI, Schaafsma FG, Nieuwenhuijsen K, van Dijk FJ (2008) Effect of an EBM course in combination with case method learning sessions: an RCT on professional performance, job satisfaction, and self-efficacy of occupational physicians. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 82:107–115
Hulshof CT, Verbeek JH, van Dijk FJ, van der Weide WE, Braam IT (1999) Evaluation research in occupational health services: general principles and a systematic review of empirical studies. Occup Environ Med 56:361–377
International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) Board (2002) International code of ethics for occupational health professionals. 2nd edn. ICOH, Rome
International Labour Office (1985) ILO Convention No. 161 on Occupational Health Services. ILO, Geneva
McColl A, Smith H, White P, Field J (1998) General practitioner’s perceptions of the route to evidence-based medicine: a questionnaire survey. BMJ 316:361–365
Sackett D, Rosenberg W, Gray J, Haynes M, Richardson W (1996) Evidence-based medicine: what it is and what it isn’t. BMJ 312:71–72
Schaafsma F, Hulshof C, van Dijk F, Verbeek J (2004) Information demands of occupational health physicians and their attitude towards evidence-based medicine. Scand J Work Environ Health 30:327–330
Schaafsma F, Hulshof C, Verbeek J, Bos J, Dyserinck H, van Dijk F (2006) Developing search strategies in Medline on the occupational origin of diseases. Am J Ind Med 49:127–137
Schaafsma F, Hulshof C, de Boer A, van Dijk F (2007) Effectiveness and efficiency of a literature search strategy to answer questions on the etiology of occupational diseases: a controlled trial. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 80:239–247
Upton D, Upton P (2006) Knowledge and use of evidence-based practice of GPs and hospital doctors. J Eval Clin Pract 12:376–384
Verbeek J, van Dijk F (2006) A practical guide for the use of research information to improve the quality of occupational health practice. Protecting Workers’ Health Series, no7, World Health Organisation, Geneva
Verbeek JH, van Dijk FJ, Malmivaara A, Hulshof CT, Räsänen K, Kankaanpää EE, Mukala K (2002) Evidence-based medicine for occupational health. Scand J Work Environ Health 28:197–204
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the experts who contributed to the development of the survey and would like to thank all the occupational health physicians who took part in this survey and Prof. Dr. L. Godderis for his valuable advice
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendix
Appendix
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Heselmans, A., Donceel, P., Aertgeerts, B. et al. The attitude of Flemish occupational health physicians toward evidence-based occupational health and clinical practice guidelines. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 83, 201–208 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-009-0449-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-009-0449-y