Physicians' opinions about the causes of underreporting of occupational diseases

Alaguney M. E., YILDIZ A. N., DEMİR A. U., ERGÖR O. A.

ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH, vol.75, no.3, pp.165-176, 2020 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 75 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2020
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/19338244.2019.1594663
  • Journal Name: ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, EMBASE, Environment Index, MEDLINE, Veterinary Science Database
  • Page Numbers: pp.165-176
  • Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Occupational diseases cause an important burden on health and economy; however, they are substantially underestimated. We aimed to investigate the opinions of physicians about causes of underreporting of occupational diseases. We collected data with a questionnaire, listing 30 possible causes for underreporting of occupational diseases. 478 physicians participated in the study. The first 3 most frequent causes perceived as "very important" are; employers' perception of occupational safety and health services as a loss of revenue (64.9%), prevalent employment without a legal contract (64.6%), and prevalent employment as subcontracted (59.4%). 52.1% of the physicians worked or currently working as an occupational physician. With the increase of working year as an occupational physician, there was a statistically significant decrease in the strength of importance for 17 of the 30 statements. This finding may be one of the important causes of underreporting of occupational diseases.