Services Provided by Family Physicians for Patients With Occupational Injuries and Illnesses
Ann Fam Med Won and Dembe
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The Article in Brief
Background Many family physicians provide care for patients with occupational illnesses and injuries, but little is known about the services they provide or how they compare with services provided by other types of physicians. This study aims to learn more about the care family physicians provide for patients with work-related disorders.
What This Study Found Family physicians account for approximately 3 times as many visits each year for injured workers when compared with occupational medicine specialists. Patients receive more comprehensive care when they see their family physician for occupational injuries. During these visits, patients are more likely to have their blood pressure taken, receive diagnostic and screening services, and have prescription drugs prescribed or administered, compared with patients seeing other types of physicians.
Implications
- Family physicians often use visits for work-related conditions as opportunities to assess the patient¡¦s overall health and provide other needed care.
- A family medicine approach offers added value to occupational illness care.
- These findings may be useful for establishing benchmarks to help family physicians assess the extent and type of services currently provided for work-related conditions.
