The general practitioners' view

General practitioners have patients on their lists who work in a variety of occupations, but the doctor is most unlikely to have had any training in o ccupational medicine. As a result, occuaptional causes for illness are rare ly considered by GPs. Little contact occurs between occupational health phy sicians and GPs leading to a lack of understanding of the occupational phys ician's role. These two factors, when combined, may lead to patients receiv ing sub-optimal treatment. This could be remedied by better undergraduate a nd postgraduate training, and by greater professional contact.