Occupational physicians' education and training across European Union countries

The framework directive on improvements in the safety and health of workers is being implemented into the national legislation of European Union count ries, and occupational physicians are requested to play a key role in under taking preventive measures. Since there is no common specific requirement f or the training and education of these health professionals, this report ai ms to provide a comparative picture of the educational process across Europ ean Union training bodies. Each curriculum provides theoretical knowledge a nd practical experience, but deep differences exist among different countri es. Core knowledge is mainly based on the traditional disciplines (such as occupational hygiene, occupational toxicology, ergonomics, epidemiology and biostatistics, relevant legislation and preventive medicine). General lear ning objectives should include assessment of the workplace environment, com munication and education, legislation, occupational diseases, and relations hips between health and work. Core experience, often based on task-based le arning, emphasizes the need for assessment of a range of working environmen ts; for surveillance, including the biological monitoring, of workers at ri sk; for assessment of disability, impairment, and fitness for work; for the clinical ability to recognize occupational diseases, for the formulation o f differential diagnosis; and for management of workers developing disease in the course of their employment. New curricular elements (such as managem ent, economics, quality assurance, and marketing) are being introduced in s ome institutions with the aim of stressing the renewed role of the occupati onal physician in meeting society and employers' needs. The need to educate and train a professional figure whose competence should allow the delivery of high-quality occupational health services across European Union countri es compels the harmonization of the formative process of occupational physi cians.