Effect of A Brief Education On The Occupational History Taking In Hypertension Patients

Abstract

Objective: This study is designed to measure the effect of 10-minutes training about occupational diseases, history taking and relation of occupation and hypertension on occupational history taking rates of physicians. 

Materials and Methods: This research is conducted between 01 April 2018 to 31 May 2018 at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic. The training including the importance and methods of taking occupational history, and the relation between occupation and diseases is given to the new assistant doctor group as an extra 10 minutes’ education session. At the end of May, researchers screened electronic medical files of patients who diagnosed with hypertension (ICD10 code I10) of outpatients in General Internal Medicine Division in April and May 2018.

Results: We reviewed the data of 3619 adult patients administered to General Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic of Hacettepe University Hospitals in between 01 April to 31 May 2018. A total of 395 (10.9%) patients had hypertension diagnosis code. The total number of patients whose occupational history taken were 151 (38.2%). There were statistically significant difference between physician groups not trained in April and trained 10 minutes in May, 62 (32%), and 89 (44.3%), respectively (p:0.012). Among the hypertensive patients whose occupational history were recorded, 36 (23.8%) had an occupation.

Conclusion: This result emphasizes the importance of education in raising awareness of taking an occupational history. As occupational diseases are 100% preventable diseases, taking occupational history will enhance the diagnosis and effective treatment of the occupational or work-related diseases. Beginning from the medical faculty lectures, seminars and post-graduate education have to be added and increased regarding this important issue.

Keywords: Occupational history, occupational disease, hypertension.